Team India head coach Duncan Fletcher said on Friday that MS Dhoni & Co. can defend their World Cup crown.
Team India head coach Duncan Fletcher said on Friday that MS Dhoni & Co. can defend their World Cup crown.
Speaking to bcci.tv, the Zimbabwean said, "I am very excited, especially given the side we have. I think we are a good chance to win after the way the team has been building over the last three-four years. A big reason for my belief is our ICC Champions Trophy (2013) victory in England. We played in very foreign conditions that didn't suit the side and yet we played so well that we didn't lose a single match. That shows that the side is used to winning and that's really exciting."
Only four members of the 2011 side feature in this squad. However, Fletcher is not too worried about India having a young and inexperienced side. "We do want experience. You cannot beat experience," he said. "We have played three ICC tournaments in the last three years — ICC World Twenty20 in 2012 and 2014 and ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. And people will be surprised to see that we have only lost two games in all of which one was the final. That is quite a record to be proud of. And the team in all those tournaments was more or less the same. So, these boys do have the experience when it comes to the big tournaments and they do know how to win them. What makes this team special is that over the last few years they have faced all kinds of situations in the limited-overs cricket and have shown they are capable of coming out successfully from all of them. That's why I say that we have a good chance to win this World Cup."
He also praised Dhoni. "The team has been led by MS Dhoni's attitude. Most other sides can't do it because under such pressure, you lose your cool, the decision-making becomes cluttered and you lose your way. Because MS is so adept at soaking in the pressure, we have done well in those situations. It is important to be calm and take the game all the way and win with maybe three balls to spare. People might say, 'Oh, they barely got home', but getting home is the most important thing."
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