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Two years back when Mahendra Singh Dhoni led India in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa, nobody gave his team a hope in hell to win; when the second edition of this tournament kicks off in England this week, everybody (at last in this country) wants to believe that his team will win again.

They might, but the second time round it hardly needs emphasizing after the defeat against New Zealand in the warm-up match, the task will be several times harder.
It is not just the burden of expectations (though this is considerable) which Dhoni’s team will have to live up to. In the past 24 months, players from all over the world have had more Twenty20 experience, gotten smarter and bolder.

Moreover, two seasons of the IPL has allowed not just followers of the sport to become familiar with the format, but players have also got to know each other better, and hone their skills further. For instance, in 2007, the Indian team packed as many surprises as punches. Joginder Sharma’s ‘nerveless’ last over in the final against Pakistan was as sensational as Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad.

In 2009, however, not a single player is an unknown quantity. Indeed, it would be fair to say that the Indians would have been the most ‘marked’ players in the world simply because they had looked so competent! It is now also well established that the shorter the format, the more level the playing field, which is why Twenty20 cricket produces so many topsy turvy results.

In the first season of the IPL, for instance, the Rajasthan Royals won against all odds and expectations and the two best teams on paper, Hyderabad and Bangalore, finished eighth and seventh. This year, however, the table was turned upside down, and in that is a latent warning to the Indian team, which Dhoni, who captained the Chennai team that lost in the semis, cannot afford to ignore.

That said, where the Indian captain’s confidence should soar is because of the talent at his disposal. It’s a young side with not a single player over 30. He also has some of the best strikers of the ball in the business – Sehwag, Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Yuvraj, Rohit Sharma and himself – and a bowling attack which seems tailor-made for English conditions given the quality and form of the seamers.

A question mark looms over Zaheer Khan’s fitness. Losing the striker bowler would be a big blow, but if it does happen that Zaheer does not get fit in time, it would be prudent to replace him with Dinesh Karthik rather than another bowler. One cannot quite fathom how the selectors could have chosen a team without a second wicket-keeper? What happens if Dhoni gets a niggle?

There has been talk about the Indian players being fatigued after playing non-stop for almost a year, which obviously has some truth value if you see the waning form of Sehwag and Gambhir in the IPL — but only some.

The table below reveals that, in fact, the Indian players had not played less days as some other teams unless one includes the IPL too. Even in that equation, several South Africans and key Sri Lankan have played as much.

So, while India’s players may be tired, most international cricketers are too.Dhoni’s primary task will be to ensure that the mindset of his players is accepting of the situation and not steeped in negativity. International sport is extremely demanding, and considering the high financial rewards that players get today, there is little escape from such hardship.

Only two teams in the history of cricket, Dhoni would surely know, have won a world title in succession. The West Indies won the World Cup in 1975 and 1979, Australia in 1999, 2003, 2007. More pertinent for the Indian captain, however, would be the knowledge that both these teams also then happened to be world champions in all formats of the game. That is the status Dhoni should be aiming to achieve over the next three weeks.

In the past eights months, he has led India to Test and one-day victories over Australia, England and New Zealand. If he wins the Twenty20 World Championship, the last vestige of doubt that India are indeed the best team in any format will have been removed.

In more ways than one, Dhoni and his team have the world to play for.

5 factors that helped india emerge champions in 2007
No expectations
After the disastrous 2007 WC campaign in the West Indies, no one expected India to claim the title. However, this time all the pressure will be on them.

MSD effect
The greenhorn, being handed the responsibility for the first time during the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup, took to leading the side like a fish takes to water

Youthful energy
The inexperienced bunch was free of any baggage. They were young, energetic and eager to prove themselves. It waits to be seen if they are raring to go this time.

Bowlers on fire
RP, with 12 wickets, and Sreesanth bowled well, while Harbhajan Singh was difficult to get away. Zaheer Khan’s injury worries could hurt India this time.

Yuvi’s Six appeal
He slammed Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in the match against England. However, the southpaw has had an indifferent run-up to the tournament.

Join Ayaz Memon in a tête-à-tête on Cricket, T20 & India’s chances of winning the World Championship once again…

Date: 6th June '09
Time: 11 am
Venue: DNA Office, Lower Parel, Mumbai

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