IMAGE: India's Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni during a practice session. Photograph: Solaris Images.
The superb build-up run has
made India the clear favourites for an unprecedented second
World Twenty20 title but the in-form hosts will have to guard against
complacency when they take on a spirited New Zealand in their
campaign-opener in Nagpur on Tuesday.
No host country has won the T20 world title in the last five editions
and none has repeated a title triumph, but India's settled combination,
led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and familiarity with the conditions make
them the odds-on favourites to script history.
The 2007 Champions, India go into the Super 10 Group 2 clash against
New Zealand with their tails up as the number one ranked team in the
world.
India have been on a roll in the shortest form of the game, winning
their last seven outings which included a 3-0 whitewash of World 50-over
champions Australia in the latter's backyard.
IMAGE: Indian cricketers Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja at Nagpur airport. Photograph: PTI.
They then went on to win the Asia Cup on a canter after beating Sri Lanka at home 2-1.
The five consecutive wins in Dhaka, including in the summit clash
against Bangladesh that led to their continental supremacy in the T20
game, has given the team a huge morale boost.
However, Dhoni's men will be wary of the fact that they have never
beaten New Zealand in T20s in four outings in the past including once
during their stunning title run in the inaugural edition in 2007 in
South Africa.
But in home conditions, India would be a big threat to the rest of
the competitors, including New Zealand. The minor hiccup in India's
build-up to this competition was their loss to South Africa by four runs
in a practice match and this was perhaps a wake-up call for the team
to avoid being complacent.
India do have the wherewithal and the personnel to script history and
a win in Tuesday's opening game at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha would give
them the ideal momentum to take on the challenges ahead head-on.
IMAGE: India's Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Ajinkya Rahane during a practice session. Photograph: Solaris Images.
Virat Kohli has been in
terrific form, in the last two months. On top of his game, the Test
skipper has made four half-centuries in seven innings, and two other
scores in the 40s, besides leading four successful run-chases.
With an average of over 50 after 38 matches, he remains one of the
players who will be feared by the opposition along with the equally
talented Rohit Sharma who is set to play in his sixth WT20
championship.
Shikhar Dhawan's form has been patchy at best but the knock of 73 he
made in the warm-up game against South Africa should have given him as
well as the team a considerably boost going into the tournament.
With the likes of Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni himself to
follow apart from Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, India can bat deep
down the order.
IMAGE: Indian players Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja at training session. Photograph: PTI.
The unearthing of Jasprit
Bumrah to bowl effectively at the early stages as well as in the death
has given the team the much-needed go-to-man when things don't go as per
plans.
With the vastly experienced Ashish Nehra, who has played in just one
WT20 event earlier, and the timely return to fitness of Mohammed Shami,
India have the pacers to do the job effectively. To add variety to
medium-pace, there's Pandya.
It's in the spin department that they have an embarrassment of riches, barring a leg spinner.
The duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja should be the
front-runners to take up two spots and the team has the choice of adding
either Harbhajan Singh or Pawan Negi to the combination.
IMAGE: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson with teammate Tim Southee after a press conference. Photograph: PTI.
New Zealand too have the
players to trouble India although they would be missing the fire-power
and attacking captaincy of Brendon McCullum who has retired recently.
Led by Kane Williamson, a classically elegant batsman who ups his
gears when opening in T20Is, the Kiwis are well-served with a set of
explosive batsmen in Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Grant Elliott, Ross
Taylor and Corey Anderson.
They have a very good pace battery, including
left-right combinations, and a varied spin attack to fall upon in
the middle overs, for containment as well as taking wickets.
The Kiwis had also won four out of their last five T20 Internationals
-- against Pakistan and Sri Lanka -- but showed little hints of
vulnerability to spin by England who checked in their stunning progress
in the warm-up game in Mumbai. source:rediff
