India look to end World Cup jinx this time around
India have never been successful in the World Cup whenever it was hosted in the Subcontinent. But this time around, the team is looking forward to ending the jinx and to take home cricket’s most coveted trophy.
India will face co-hosts Bangladesh in the inaugural match of the ICC World Cup 2011 on February 19 in Dhaka.
The World Cup first came to the subcontinent in 1987. India had won the previous World Cup and were looking forward to securing another win in their own backyards. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kapil-Dev-c70234 led the team, but the legendary cricketer failed to keep the trophy home and India
were beaten by England in the semi-final to be thrown out of the competition.
Nine years later in 1996, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 again co-hosted the World Cup with Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Azharuddin’s team was again not able to deliver. Co-hosts Sri Lanka eliminated India again in the semi-final that was
played in Kolkata. Sri Lanka went on to win their maiden world title.
The World Cup has returned to the subcontinent after 15 years. This time around the tournament was to be hosted by four countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. But the International Cricket Council relocated Pakistan’s share of matches due
to security concerns, leaving the remaining three countries host the World Cup.
The current Indian captain, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mahendra-Singh-Dhoni-c73820, is an inspiring young man who plays as a wicketkeeper-batsman all-rounder. He bats in the middle order and is very effective in the death overs.
Sachin Tendulkar, one of the best players in the world, is a very big asset for the team and he will be looking to bring the trophy home in his career’s possibly last World Cup. This will be his sixth World Cup appearance, a record currently held by Pakistan’s
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Javed-Miandad-c66580.
India’s current world ranking of number two has also helped them become one of the favourites in the upcoming event. They have been placed in Group B with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The Men-in-Blue have a strong team with in-form players and their reaching to the second round will not be any surprise. India will also have a chance to take revenge from Bangladesh who were the main cause of their early departure from the World Cup 2007
in West Indies.
Dhoni claims his team will not have any problem downing Bangladesh in the opening match. Their next match will be against England after a gap of eight days, enough for the team to recover and prepare. The next two matches will be somewhat relaxed and they
will play against minnows http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Netherlands-c753.
They will face the Proteas on http://www.senore.com/Cricket/March-c74391 12, whom they had faced recently in a mixed tour.
Indian legendary spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755. Both are in
good form, but looking at India's form, I think this is the best chance for them to win the cup.”
Kumble acknowledged Tendulkar’s services to his country and hoped that his fellow cricketers can give him the perfect gift by winning the final which will be played in Sachin’s home ground, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820.
The Little Master will be the key player for India. He along with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gautam-Gambhir-c58623 make up the top order. While skipper Dhoni shares the middle order with Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina coming.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Yuvraj-Singh-c98364 are more than handy with the ball.
The Indian skipper is confident that his players will handle the pressure of the cup being played on their home soil. He says, "I never predict what will happen in cricket. We believe in each other and we believe in the process. We will take each game in
the right frame of mind.”
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