Seamers will play a key role in England

— India’s World Cup-winning medium pacer Balwinder Singh Sandhu reckons that spinners may not get help in unpredictable English weather conditions.

“You cannot predict the weather in England, it may not be hot and spinners may not come in play,” Sandhu told Khaleej Times over telephone from Mumbai.

Sandhu was Kapil Dev’s new ball partner in the 1983 World Cup. And one of the lasting image of the title clash with the West Indies has been the seamer deceiving Gordon Greenidge to shoulder arms to an incoming delivery that knocked off the legendary opener’s off stump.

“In England seam bowlers will always do well and the current Indian team has quality seamers,” he said.

In his opinion new ball bowlers will do well in the World Cup.

Sandhu is happy to see the West Indian cricketers doing well in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“They can be the dark horses for this World Cup,” he reckons.

In 1983, Clive Llyod’s men were the favourites to win the Cup for the third time in a row and Kapil’s Devil were not even the dark horses.

But in what was one of the greatest underdog victories, the Indians stunned the mighty Windies to win the World Cup for the first time.

Now Sandhu sees that scenario repeating with a new twist.

“India are now the favourites and the West Indies are not, but you never know. Their (the West Indies’) graph is going up,” he said and added that it would be good for the West Indian cricket if they win.

“I would like them to win.” Sandhu echoed the general sentiments when asked about the Indian team’s selection for the World Cup.

“(Rishabh) Pant should have been there, looking at the future he deserved to be there,” Sandhu opined.

He pointed out that both the keepers (MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik) were 34 plus.

“I have nothing against Karthik but looking at the future, they need (to pick) one junior and groom him, that’s the way I am looking at it.”