Cricket World Cup 2011: India should and will win it!

©Cricinfo

Dear Readers,


Firstly, sorry for the delay in writing this blogpost. I was wanting to write it since quite some time, but was travelling, so didn't get the opportunity to write it down. And as the saying goes, "Better Late Than Never!"

So here goes. Here's dedicating this one to Team India. Chak De!

Content:

• Analysis of the Indian Squad - Plus and minuses of the Indian team: what to look out for in the coming weeks.
• World Cup Predictor: my predictions of Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final
• Concluding note

 Analysis of the Indian Squad

 

To begin this blogpost, let's have a look at the 14-member Indian squad.

  

• MS Dhoni (c/wk)
• Virender Sehwag (vc)
• Ravichandran Ashwin
• Piyush Chawla
• Gautam Gambhir
• Harbhajan Singh
• Zaheer Khan
• Virat Kohli
• Ashish Nehra
• Munaf Patel
• Yusuf Pathan
• Suresh Raina
• Sreesanth
• Sachin Tendulkar
• Yuvraj Singh

A great squad, to say the least. The best batting line-up ever, with a great mix between youth and experience. And a very talented bowling line-up as well.

 

Sehwag started off his World Cup campaign in style, by demolishing the Bangladeshi bowlers, with his outstanding 175. He told recently in an interview that his new style of playing would be to last the 50 overs of the game. He lasted 40 overs in his last game. Other teams, beware. Sachin didn't have a great knock, but he is known to perform well in World Cups. Looking forward to his oh-so-classy batting in the coming matches. Then there is Gautam Gambhir, who is known to be calm and composed, and plays sensible cricket. Virat Kohli, my personal favorite, for his impeccable consistency. He had a great knock against Bangladesh, with his maiden World Cup century. A treat to watch, that was. Suresh Raina, known to be aggressive in his batting, if required in such a situation, will be a key player. Yuvraj Singh, now a changed batsman, who plays his game much more steadily than he used to previously, will be well needed for his experience on the Indian grounds. And finally, Yusuf Pathan. The finisher, the one who one can rely on at number 7.

If that was our fierce batting line-up, our bowling isn't that bad either. We have experience in the names of Harbhajan and Zaheer Khan. We have the underrated, but much-improver and better-than-ever Munaf Patel. We have our World Cup master, Ashish Nehra. (Can't help but remember his 6-23 against England in 2003) We have young spinners, Piyush Chawla and Ashwin, who perform well on their day. And finally, our fastest bowler, S Sreesanth. He may have had a bad day against Bangladesh, but watch out. I'm sure he will perform well, if he plays, in the coming matches.

And finally, and most importantly, we have Captain Cool. MS Dhoni. A dangerous batsman, an athletic wicket-keeper, and the most cool-headed captain ever. His field placements, eventually surprising bowling changes, interesting on-field decisions, and his luck, is what makes him the best captain one could ever ask for, for Team India.

Yes, we should be careful with certain factors. Firstly, our batsmen should be able to play the short-ball well. Secondly, our bowlers should keep their cool, particularly Sreesanth. And finally, the players shouldn't give in to the pressure.

All the very best of luck, Team India. You won't need the luck, though!

World Cup Predictor

Here's a fun predictor I found on Cricinfo, which allowed me to make a list of what I think will be the quarter, semi and finals of this World Cup. Check it out and do tell me if you agree or not with my predictions!

 

 

Concluding Note

So yes, that was all I had to say, for backing up my opinion on why India will win the World Cup. We have the One-Billion-people-support. We have the home ground advantage. We have the most talented players in our squad. So why the doubt? India WILL win the World Cup.

 

A great match is ahead of us tomorrow. India vs England. Time for us to shine all over again.

And oh, yes, if you want to show your support to the Indian team, please join this Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-India-will-raise-the-2011-ICC-Cricket-World-Cup/192467217436108

Thanks for reading this blogpost, do post in your comments, CHAK DE INDIA,
Santhosh