Indian captain Dhoni holds back Word Cup chances
As the ICC World Cup 2011 will raise its curtain on February 19, the Indian captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mahendra-Singh-Dhoni-c73820 has played down his team’s chances in the tournament.
Dhoni stated in a press conference that team http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 is not the only favourite to win the Cricket’s flagship event. His team will face a tough challenge in the tournament, as they will take on some of the best sides in the cricketing fraternity.
Dhoni said, "A lot of hype is created around the World Cup but every series that the Indian team plays we have a lot of expectation. We are supposed to win the World Cup, the atmosphere was same in 2007.”
The Indian captain added, “ It won't be right to consider this as one of the final frontiers, it's one of the big tournaments, the team needs to do well, (but) it's always the process and preparation that will help us achieve success, not thinking about
what's coming and how big the tournament is."
The subcontinent giants remain a formidable opponent in home conditions, however, they haven’t done badly outside their own backyard, as they have won the ODI-series in countries such as New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies.
Currently India is ranked number 2 in the ICC ODI rankings. At home, they have beaten Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. However, they lost a hard fought ODI series in South Africa.
India will play their two warm-up games against Australia on February 13, and New Zealand on February 16. Both the warm-up matches will play a vital role in the preparations ahead of their first match against Bangladesh.
Nevertheless, Dhoni feels that his team houses one of the best players in the world right now and they can beat any opposition on a given day. The team has got a variety in their bowling attack and batting looks solid on paper as well, making the Indian
squad one of the best in the tournament.
He added that the Indian unit is a mixture of experienced players, who know how to handle pressure on a big stage, and youngsters who are ready to display their talent in Cricket's most prestigious event.
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