CHENNAI: As India heads into its first of two warm-up games before the World Cup against the Netherlands on Tuesday, the team would be hoping the final pieces of the puzzle Coach Greg Chappell referred to after the series win against Sri Lanka last month continue to fall in place. India would be hoping primarily for Virender Sehwag to find form and for Irfan Pathan to find his rhythm with the ball, as it searches for momentum going into the World Cup.

India's batting line up on paper is imposing but Sehwag's form would be crucial in ensuring the team posts totals its bowlers are comfortable with. The batsmen will also have to make up for the team being an average fielding unit, something that is expected to put pressure on the bowlers.

Wretched tour

In the last World Cup in 2003, the batsmen came into the tournament from the horrors of a wretched tour to New Zealand, where they came unstuck on pitches with alarming movement. India's batsmen carried on their miserable form into South Africa as they were bowled out for 158 in their warm-up game against KwaZulu-Natal and for 204 and 125 in their early matches of the World Cup against Holland and Australia. India had to wait till the game against Namibia for its batsmen to finally produce an authoritative batting performance. India scored 311 for the loss of only two wickets as Sachin Tendulkar led the way with a composed 152. India had slowly built up momentum as it worked on the gains achieved in its score of 255 against Zimbabwe in the previous match.

This time, India's batsmen head into the World Cup slightly better off. While runs scored at home are often viewed suspiciously, they have provided much needed confidence for batsmen who were under the hammer after being trounced in South Africa. The team's rising confidence has been aided by the emphatic return of Yuvraj Singh, who was the key to India's success in the previous season, and Ganguly and Uthappa's belligerence at the top.

Confidence

The warm-up games should provide India's batsmen more confidence in the form of runs, especially against Netherlands' medium pace trundlers. If Sehwag can recapture his form and if Yuvraj and the rest build on the confidence gained in the home series against Sri Lanka and West Indies, India would feel confident as the World Cup begins.

While Ganguly and Uthappa seem likely to open through the World Cup, Chappell has more than once hinted that Sehwag or Tendulkar could do the job if the situation demands. These games should also provide the opportunity to try out either or both of them as an opener.

On the bowling front, India's worries revolve around Pathan's loss of form and Munaf Patel's seemingly weak constitution. Munaf Patel's figures over the last year have been impressive and his performances in the series against Sri Lanka seem to have assured him of a place in the team, despite his sometimes atrocious fielding. If Pathan clicks in these games, the second of which is on Friday against the West Indies, India might be tempted to play six batsmen which would mean Uthappa or Sehwag would have to move out, but that is a dilemma the Indian team management would love to have.

Chappell and Dravid have played down India's fielding worries claiming that as long as they are smart over it, and find the right fielding positions for the players, the team would do fine. While it remains to be seen whether they are proven right, these warm-up games will surely see them trying to put their theory in action.

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