ICC World Cup 2011: Imran Khan hails India squad
Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan has hailed India’s 15-man ICC World Cup 2011 squad and said that the Dhoni-led side are the clear favourites to lift the coveted trophy.
The legendary pacer reckoned that India’s biggest strength in the mega cricketing event would be their flamboyant captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who, according to Khan, is the most assured and relaxed captain going into the World Cup commencing on 19 February in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
“He is the most assured and relaxed captain in this tournament and he has the respect of his players. He is also a very astute tactician and a matchwinner on his day,” said the 58-year-old.
India have one of the strongest line-ups and the former ace all-rounder of Pakistan feels their batting would be their powerhouse on the slow Subcontinent tracks.
Imran, who led Pakistan to their only World Cup title in 1992, described opener Virender Sehwag and all-rounder Yusuf Pathan as two of the finest and most powerful batsmen of the current era. The Oxford University graduate further added that both the batsmen have the potential to put any kind of attack to the sword.
“They have immense ability to hit the ball and once they get going it is difficult to stop them. And given the superior quality of the bats today they become a dangerous pair,” said the cricketer-turned-politician.
Imran, at the same time, highlighted Sehwag’s weakness and said that the 32-year-old Delhi batsman demonstrates very little feet movement. The legendary pacer tipped the bowlers to bring the ball back into his pads if they want to contain the hard-hitter.
Imran Khan also hailed the bowling brigade of India and said that the spearhead pacer Zaheer Khan and prolific spinner Harbhajan Singh would play crucial roles for India in the six-week long tournament. He also backed the decision of the selectors to add leg-spinner Piyush Chawla in the World Cup squad.
The right-handed batsman, who played 175 One Day Internationals in his 18-year-long ODI career, feels Zaheer Khan is in his best bowling form ever and said that his reverse swing can prove deadly in the big tournament.
Most of the World Cup matches would be played under lights and Imran Khan claimed that the dew factor will play a key role in determining the outcome of matches. He predicted that team batting second will have a huge advantage in the floodlit matches.
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