Dhoni’s men leave for Dhaka– Cricket News update
The Indian cricket team under the captaincy of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 on March 11, 2012. The Men in Blue have previously won the biennial tournament five times since its inception
in 1984.
They will also be defending their crown after defeating Sri Lanka in the finals two year back. The visitors also happen to be the first team to win the title under the leadership of skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sunil-Manohar-Gavaskar-c91863.
The defenders will play their first match against fellow visitors, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 on March 13th, 2012 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. However, their biggest test would be against their traditional rivals Pakistan on March 18, 2012.
It will be the first meeting for the two Asian giants since the World Cup 2011, where the Men in Green were knocked out by their counterparts at the semi-final stage. The Pakistani skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972 summed up the challenge against India in the following
words: “"Everyone wants to enjoy http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 rivalry and that adds to the pressure. But we want to play good cricket and improve our own performance. It's going to be a tough tournament."
Following the success of the mega event, the Indian team has suffered a considerable dip in their form, where they first relinquished their Test supremacy to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 before enduring a similar fate on their highly unsuccessful tour Down Under, where the side
came under considerable scrutiny for their below par performances.
Moreover, rivalries between some of the senior players have adversely affected the team’s overall display, which invited unprecedented criticism from cricket followers and commentators.
Dhoni will be assisted by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Kohli-c2737 after the talented batsman was promoted to the vice-captaincy role. The youngster, who has been termed as “captaincy material” by the Indian selection committee was the only player to prove his mettle during a dismal
tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Tendulkar-c2556 faltered badly.
Besides Pakistan, the biggest challenge for the reigning Asian Cup winners will be offered by Sri Lanka. The Lankan http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lions-c808 have an impressive record, where they have managed to reach the finals of all the tournaments held so far.
India hopes of retaining their title will rely on how quickly they bounce back from the disappointments of recent months and more importantly - on their ability to play as a unit.
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