Part-time spinners would give India an edge: Rahul Dravid
Former India captain Rahul Dravid feels the presence of part-time spinners in the Indian squad would give them an edge in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2011 which gets underway in Dhaka on Saturday, 19 February.
“India are obviously one of the favourites, said the prolific middle order batsman. They have been playing well for a number of years. Its a well-balanced side with a number of spinning all-rounders or part-time bowlers, which gives India a big advantage,” Dravid reckoned.
The latest edition of the mega cricketing event would be jointly hosted by three Test playing nations of South Asia with India being one of the co-hosts. There are concerns that the pressure of playing at home might adversely affect India’s performance in the tournament but their captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni recently said that the team would take it as an added responsibility.
The 38-year-old prolific batsman from Madhya Pradesh praised Dhoni’s approach and said that playing at home should be taken as a privilege rather than pressure.
“It's a great priviledge to be playing at home in front of home fans. Rather than seeing it as pressure, it should be seen as a great priviledge,” he said.
Dravid, who has also been keeping the wickets occasionally, urged the team to maintain fitness and keep the spirits up during the six-week long tournament.
“It's a matter of peaking at the right time, keeping fit and enjoying and keeping the spirit up during the long tournament,” said Dravid, who was the captain of the Indian side that was knocked out after the first round during the ICC World Cup 2007.
The triumphant captain of the 1983 World Cup, Kapil Dev also advised the team to enjoy playing in the tournament and give their best without taking any kind of pressure. The Haryana Hurricane also advised the Dhoni-led team to perform like a unit in the tournament and not rely on a single player.
India, one of the strong contenders for the coveted trophy, have been placed in Group B of the World Cup which also includes England, South Africa, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands.
Dhoni’s men will open their World Cup campaign against Bangladesh on 19 February in Dhaka with hopes that history does not repeat itself.
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