India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Thursday his team is well-equipped to grip the pressure of playing in a World Cup in front of home crowds. India, champions in 1983, dissatisfied millions of their fans four years ago when they were knocked out in the first round, following a shock defeat against Bangladesh in their opening match. This time the hosts have raised fans' prospect after doing well both at home and overseas with Dhoni and coach former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten at the helm.
"Pressure is an added responsibility. Whenever you play for India, there is always pressure," said Dhoni, whose team is one of the favourites for the title."But the good thing is we have a very skilled team. Most of the guys have been there for five-seven years and know how to handle pressure. We have some brilliant youngsters who can change the course of any game."The Indian skipper said the responsibility of leading the side was not a burden."I have been doing for some years. There is a lot of hype and expectation around the World Cup," said the wicketkeeper-batsman.
"Every series we have played so far, there is always a lot of expectations. Expectations will always be there, but we need to consider it just as a big tournament."The big hitting batsman said planning would be the key to success in the World Cup."It is very important to have right strategy, always be ready with Plan B or Plan C and at the same time not take any added pressure," he said. He conceded the team would miss "street-smart" paceman Praveen Kumar, who was ruled out of the event on Tuesday after failing to get better from an elbow injury.
"But you can't really control injuries. A few players are still suffering from slight niggles, which is always there but nothing is serious. Hopefully, nothing major happens to any player."Key batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir missed recent one-dayers in South Africa, but were expected to be fit for India's opening match against Bangladesh in Dhaka on February 19.India will also play England, South Africa, the West Indies, the Netherlands and Ireland in the preliminary league with the top four qualifying for the quarter-finals."For us, the World Cup will start from game one and not the quarter-finals," said the Indian captain. "There is no question of taking any team carelessly.
"Pressure is an added responsibility. Whenever you play for India, there is always pressure," said Dhoni, whose team is one of the favourites for the title."But the good thing is we have a very skilled team. Most of the guys have been there for five-seven years and know how to handle pressure. We have some brilliant youngsters who can change the course of any game."The Indian skipper said the responsibility of leading the side was not a burden."I have been doing for some years. There is a lot of hype and expectation around the World Cup," said the wicketkeeper-batsman.
"Every series we have played so far, there is always a lot of expectations. Expectations will always be there, but we need to consider it just as a big tournament."The big hitting batsman said planning would be the key to success in the World Cup."It is very important to have right strategy, always be ready with Plan B or Plan C and at the same time not take any added pressure," he said. He conceded the team would miss "street-smart" paceman Praveen Kumar, who was ruled out of the event on Tuesday after failing to get better from an elbow injury.
"But you can't really control injuries. A few players are still suffering from slight niggles, which is always there but nothing is serious. Hopefully, nothing major happens to any player."Key batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir missed recent one-dayers in South Africa, but were expected to be fit for India's opening match against Bangladesh in Dhaka on February 19.India will also play England, South Africa, the West Indies, the Netherlands and Ireland in the preliminary league with the top four qualifying for the quarter-finals."For us, the World Cup will start from game one and not the quarter-finals," said the Indian captain. "There is no question of taking any team carelessly.
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