As much as fans berate on Chappell's idea of experimentation 2 years prior to the WC. Im still in favour of it.
In my opinion our players cannot adapt to the different conditions and demands of each game. Each player has his personality and likes to do "his thing" while in the middle and therefore the team does not collectively address the problem posed by the opposition. Example: Dhoni going for this shots when Dravid was well settled, Sehwag trying to be too cute. Ganguly and Sehwag opting to hit boundaries and ignoring the singles. The list can go on.
The idea of the experimentation was to provide a player with a simulated situation of how it feels to bat at a position that is generally not posed to them. eg. Dhoni/Pathan coming in the 1st 15 overs of a game. This could happen when a team loses its top 4-5 wickets early and it is left to such players to resurrect the innings. If analysed closely though Australia does not change their batting order they show the awareness to adapt their batting styles to suit the game and the situation.
Sadly that plan was aborted and we fell back to our comfort zone and things went alright against WI and SL wram-up series before the WC. Suddenly when the pressure built up a wee-bit and our players crumbled under it. Age, experience , talent etc. were levelled flat and we looked like a sunday-league side.
It is each player's responsibility to understand the situation and act accordingly and is too much to ask of the captain and coach to speak to every individual and spoon-feed them on how to play.
After watching Aus/SA game on saturday, they clearly seem to be in a different league to India. I wouldnt say they have more or less talented players than India but their players show a far greater understanding of the game and adapt very quickly.
