Alritey folks, after 4 years of wait , the biggest spectacle of cricket ( yes , twenty20 is NOT ) is back and is back in Indian Subcontinent , ( rewind your memories of 1996 and 1987 Eden gardens was in center of attention on both occassions and so is this time for being given a miss :) ) .
This is the first time i will miss it seeing it live on Tv , but will still following it through internet , annd other avenues.. So who are the favourites to win the title ?
lets do a short review of each team and their chances in WC. 3 teams a post
Kenya : 2007 was a dream run for them with reaching a top 4 , possibly will be their best run for some years , Strangely i still see Steve Tikolo knocking runs around ( for those who dont know, Steve Tikolo has burst into intl scene in 1996 back in his hey days was the best kenyan player and had created a sense of for for other teams ( ok fear is exaggerating!! ) , but 40 year old might be past his prime and it might be last time we might the kenyan Kenya might face Canada and Zim but their chances unlike 2003 dream run will end in group stage . World Cup 2011: group stage exit
Australia : 4 world cups , including last 3 consecutive wins , 4 consecutive final appearances in last 4 world cups dating from 1996 , 29 unbeaten match streak ( last one losing 12 years ago against pakistan 1999 WC group match at headingley) , Aussies travel back to Sub continent with not being favorites to win !!! . This is huge relief ofcourse for battered captain Ricky Ponting . 12 years of dominance in world cricket coupled with 3 ashes losses in the same period has questioned Aussies chance at winning 2011 world cup . Inspite of losing their sheen and losing their golden generation after 2007 WC , they have lost only 28 odis out of 98 odis in last 4 years and come to play 2011 tournament as world's no 1 in ODI.
Yes they lost Gilly, Haydos, Mcgrath, Warne . Yes Ponting , Clarke are woefully short of form. Yes They lack a good slow bowler to exploit the sub continent conditions but to write off them will be a mistake teams will pay . They still have a great opening pair of inform Shane Watson and Brad Haddin , Michael Hussey maybe injury struck m but he is still a force to reckon with, David Hussey , Cameron White are still handful for most teams and if Clarke and Ponting hit the form , god save the opponents . Their bowling unit alos looks formidable although lack the grittiness of 2007 and 2003 . Still Lee, Johnson, Tait can be pretty destructive , Weakest link is still slow bowler but i wil not write them off.. Remember this was the team who won 1999 world cup from jaws of defeat ( defeating windies in 1999 set the tone for the rest of decade ) , 1987 they have done the same thing coming with struggling team . 1996 was when they were still not favourites and yet were close to win (if not for the histronics of Da silva and Jayasuriya ) ,
I will still put my money on Aussies to make the semifinals and maybe even finals , not because they are favourite team but because they are side with enormous history, spirit and attitude .
Watch out for Punter and his new crop of people . My bet : Semifinals appearance the least, wining the world cup at best
India : yeah my national team , the best test team in world, and 2nd best team in Odis, after 28 years , India finally are arriving Wc as tag of favourites. Tendulkar playing his last world cup has one trophy missing from his cabinet , and he is desperately trying to avoid the tag of greatest player not have been part of world cup squad( Ponting was part of 4 world cup campaigns just to put into perspective) .. Luckily for Tendulkar, not only his form , but also the team he is part of can be considered India;s best chance to win the world cup . 2003 was the golden generation which missed it by a huge error in the final ( Zak was an idiot !!)
2007 was lost even before it began . 2011 they start off as favourites and the most formidable team in the world .
Yes batting looks phenomenal . Sachin, Sehwag , Gambhir, Yuvraj, Kohli and Dhoni are major forces and they can create havoc , add in Yusuf Pathan and you have a beast of batting lineup on paper ( yes papertigers ! but it remains to be seen how they can hold up at home with pressure to win .
Bowling is not too bad although it can be little pale when compared to batting . everything revolves around Zak , who i am sure has learnt his lesson from 2003 , He remains the best bowler of this decade for India amd everythung depends on him. Bhajji can be good option although i am never sure how good wicket taker he is .. with Praveen Kumar , nehra, patel, Indian bowling looks a little weak and if team can thrash 2 of them , India is in trouble..
with no spare wicket keeper, Dhoni is under strain to bat , keep and captain and if he misses one of them, India is in spot of bother
While This is the best indian team to have graced a world cup start , It could well be decided by one man perservance to bring the one thing he cherishes the most now : Sachin Tendulkar.
His last outing in a tournament which has seen him take his aura to next level ( be it his 140 against Kenya on dusty cuttack pitch in 1996 or swashbuckling 98 against Pakistan at Centurion in 2003) , This is the one thing his billion followers want him to grab and hold. India;s chance to win the world cup depend on one man : Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar .
My prediction : Semi final berth atleast and then rest depends on other factors,
This is the first time i will miss it seeing it live on Tv , but will still following it through internet , annd other avenues.. So who are the favourites to win the title ?
lets do a short review of each team and their chances in WC. 3 teams a post
Kenya : 2007 was a dream run for them with reaching a top 4 , possibly will be their best run for some years , Strangely i still see Steve Tikolo knocking runs around ( for those who dont know, Steve Tikolo has burst into intl scene in 1996 back in his hey days was the best kenyan player and had created a sense of for for other teams ( ok fear is exaggerating!! ) , but 40 year old might be past his prime and it might be last time we might the kenyan Kenya might face Canada and Zim but their chances unlike 2003 dream run will end in group stage . World Cup 2011: group stage exit
Australia : 4 world cups , including last 3 consecutive wins , 4 consecutive final appearances in last 4 world cups dating from 1996 , 29 unbeaten match streak ( last one losing 12 years ago against pakistan 1999 WC group match at headingley) , Aussies travel back to Sub continent with not being favorites to win !!! . This is huge relief ofcourse for battered captain Ricky Ponting . 12 years of dominance in world cricket coupled with 3 ashes losses in the same period has questioned Aussies chance at winning 2011 world cup . Inspite of losing their sheen and losing their golden generation after 2007 WC , they have lost only 28 odis out of 98 odis in last 4 years and come to play 2011 tournament as world's no 1 in ODI.
Yes they lost Gilly, Haydos, Mcgrath, Warne . Yes Ponting , Clarke are woefully short of form. Yes They lack a good slow bowler to exploit the sub continent conditions but to write off them will be a mistake teams will pay . They still have a great opening pair of inform Shane Watson and Brad Haddin , Michael Hussey maybe injury struck m but he is still a force to reckon with, David Hussey , Cameron White are still handful for most teams and if Clarke and Ponting hit the form , god save the opponents . Their bowling unit alos looks formidable although lack the grittiness of 2007 and 2003 . Still Lee, Johnson, Tait can be pretty destructive , Weakest link is still slow bowler but i wil not write them off.. Remember this was the team who won 1999 world cup from jaws of defeat ( defeating windies in 1999 set the tone for the rest of decade ) , 1987 they have done the same thing coming with struggling team . 1996 was when they were still not favourites and yet were close to win (if not for the histronics of Da silva and Jayasuriya ) ,
I will still put my money on Aussies to make the semifinals and maybe even finals , not because they are favourite team but because they are side with enormous history, spirit and attitude .
Watch out for Punter and his new crop of people . My bet : Semifinals appearance the least, wining the world cup at best
India : yeah my national team , the best test team in world, and 2nd best team in Odis, after 28 years , India finally are arriving Wc as tag of favourites. Tendulkar playing his last world cup has one trophy missing from his cabinet , and he is desperately trying to avoid the tag of greatest player not have been part of world cup squad( Ponting was part of 4 world cup campaigns just to put into perspective) .. Luckily for Tendulkar, not only his form , but also the team he is part of can be considered India;s best chance to win the world cup . 2003 was the golden generation which missed it by a huge error in the final ( Zak was an idiot !!)
2007 was lost even before it began . 2011 they start off as favourites and the most formidable team in the world .
Yes batting looks phenomenal . Sachin, Sehwag , Gambhir, Yuvraj, Kohli and Dhoni are major forces and they can create havoc , add in Yusuf Pathan and you have a beast of batting lineup on paper ( yes papertigers ! but it remains to be seen how they can hold up at home with pressure to win .
Bowling is not too bad although it can be little pale when compared to batting . everything revolves around Zak , who i am sure has learnt his lesson from 2003 , He remains the best bowler of this decade for India amd everythung depends on him. Bhajji can be good option although i am never sure how good wicket taker he is .. with Praveen Kumar , nehra, patel, Indian bowling looks a little weak and if team can thrash 2 of them , India is in trouble..
with no spare wicket keeper, Dhoni is under strain to bat , keep and captain and if he misses one of them, India is in spot of bother
While This is the best indian team to have graced a world cup start , It could well be decided by one man perservance to bring the one thing he cherishes the most now : Sachin Tendulkar.
His last outing in a tournament which has seen him take his aura to next level ( be it his 140 against Kenya on dusty cuttack pitch in 1996 or swashbuckling 98 against Pakistan at Centurion in 2003) , This is the one thing his billion followers want him to grab and hold. India;s chance to win the world cup depend on one man : Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar .
My prediction : Semi final berth atleast and then rest depends on other factors,
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