Cricket World Cup: Why team India will ensure #wewontgiveitback
It just seems like yesterday when the whole Wankhede Stadium broke into pandemonium when MS Dhoni gave the crowd a fairytale ending to the World Cup, by finishing the last game with a majestic six.
Four years have passed since then and Team India has gone through a sea of changes. The master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar has retired, the prolific stroke-maker Virender Sehwag is no longer part of the team, last World Cup's man-of-the-match Yuvraj Singh has not impressed the selectors, and speedster Zaheer Khan and turbanator Harbhajan Singh are no more in the reckoning.
Out of the 16 member squad selected for the World Cup, only four have made the cut. The team is young, and the bowling looks jaded and out of place. Last World Cup, Yuvraj Singh emerged as an all-rounder, who kept the team floating, even in difficult circumstances. But this year, Dhoni has limited choices at his disposal.
India always had the good fortune of maintaining a good batting side. And this time too, they do on paper at least. But, the worrying factor is the quality of our bowling. And one need not be an expert to spot this. Even after putting up for close to four months in the Australian soil, the bowlers are struggling with length, pace and for wickets. The injury to Ishant Sharma has added to our woes. The other three, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have failed miserably to live up to the expectations, and the spinners, too, look unsettled, lacking maturity and guile.
The binoculars are already out from different corners to scrutinise India's performance minutely. The team will start their campaign when they take on their arch rivals Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval on February 15.
Fans who have been witness to India-Pakistan cricket matches know the excitement they cause. Over the years, the matches have provided a platform for peace talks between the nations, and are always considered a "final" before the final. Although Pakistan has the upper hand in ODIs against India, ironically India has never lost to them. Both have met five times at the tournament, and India has won all of them. A fact which still haunts and hurts Pakistan and its cricketers.
Going by India's current form, Pakistan has a chance to end the jinx this Sunday. This will give the team a much deserved confidence boost at the start of their World Cup. Like India, the people of Pakistan are confident this time around. With many bragging the team to repeat the 1992 World Cup final performance in the picturesque Melbourne Cricket stadium and make history again.
However, in India, millions on Sunday would want Dhoni to sail the ball deep into the stands like the 2011 final against Sri Lanka. If India wants to maintain its unbeaten run against Pakistan, Dhoni needs to become a favourite all over again and win the tournament and prove the makers of the slogan #wewontgiveitback right.