London - The ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament is set to kick off today with India emerging as bookers' favorite.
And why not? The team boast of big hitters like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh (who hit six sixes in a row off England's Stuart Broad in the inaugural tournament), Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, who on their day, can alone take India's total beyond 180 runs, while Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, R.P. Singh and Pragyan Ojha are enough to provide the fire power needed to not only restrict the opposition's total but also send them packing. And, of course, how can we forget India's "Captain Cool" M.S. Dhoni who is deadly with the bat.
However, it will not be a cakewalk for the Men in Blues and the team will be under tremendous pressure to perform because there are other solid teams too who will be looking to puncture Team India's ego.
So, can India rise up to the challenge? According to cricket pundits, complacency could become India's biggest enemy as they have been grouped with minnows Bangladesh and Ireland in the first round of the tournament.
One must not forget that the two teams proved to be more than a handful for India and Pakistan, sending the latter teams packing from the early rounds in ICC World Cup 2007 held in West Indies.
"We have to guard against complacency and be on our toes," Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni said.
"They have nothing to fear and can be very dangerous on their day. If they bat aggressively and set us a target of 180, we will come under pressure," he said.
Indeed, Bangladesh is more than capable of destroying reputations and given the unpredictable nature of Twenty20, even Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands cannot be taken lightly.
As for the favorite tag, Dhoni brushed it off, saying every team enters the tournament as a favorite. "People think just because we have won the last event in South Africa and a lot of Indian squad members have played in the IPL, we are the favorites. But it's all on paper. It's a question of having one offday and we could be thrown out of the tournament," he said.
Agrees former India Test skipper Anil Kumble. According to Kumble, India begins as favorites but Australia and South Africa can pose a threat to India's title defence in the ICC World Twenty20
And why not? The team boast of big hitters like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh (who hit six sixes in a row off England's Stuart Broad in the inaugural tournament), Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, who on their day, can alone take India's total beyond 180 runs, while Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, R.P. Singh and Pragyan Ojha are enough to provide the fire power needed to not only restrict the opposition's total but also send them packing. And, of course, how can we forget India's "Captain Cool" M.S. Dhoni who is deadly with the bat.
However, it will not be a cakewalk for the Men in Blues and the team will be under tremendous pressure to perform because there are other solid teams too who will be looking to puncture Team India's ego.
So, can India rise up to the challenge? According to cricket pundits, complacency could become India's biggest enemy as they have been grouped with minnows Bangladesh and Ireland in the first round of the tournament.
One must not forget that the two teams proved to be more than a handful for India and Pakistan, sending the latter teams packing from the early rounds in ICC World Cup 2007 held in West Indies.
"We have to guard against complacency and be on our toes," Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni said.
"They have nothing to fear and can be very dangerous on their day. If they bat aggressively and set us a target of 180, we will come under pressure," he said.
Indeed, Bangladesh is more than capable of destroying reputations and given the unpredictable nature of Twenty20, even Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands cannot be taken lightly.
As for the favorite tag, Dhoni brushed it off, saying every team enters the tournament as a favorite. "People think just because we have won the last event in South Africa and a lot of Indian squad members have played in the IPL, we are the favorites. But it's all on paper. It's a question of having one offday and we could be thrown out of the tournament," he said.
Agrees former India Test skipper Anil Kumble. According to Kumble, India begins as favorites but Australia and South Africa can pose a threat to India's title defence in the ICC World Twenty20
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