INDIA's Hope!

Despite performing well below their reputation now and then India's record in the World Cup is not one to be scoffed at. Champions once, runners up on another occasion and twice semi-finalists India are behind only Australia, West Indies and Pakistan when it comes to overall standings. They have maintained their reputation as one of the leading teams in the game and currently enjoy the No.2 spot in the ICC ODI rankings.

Based on this impressive record and enjoying home advantage is there any surprise that India are being installed as favourites even in what should be a hotly contested World Cup? Actually playing in your own backyard could be both an advantage and a disadvantage as the Indian team has discovered. Twice before in 1987 and 1996 playing before frenzied fan following and in familiar surroundings has not exactly helped as they were knocked out at the semi-final stage. Can the Indians go two better and lift the trophy this time? They also have a jinx to beat as only once in 1996 have the hosts (or in this case co-hosts Sri Lanka) won the trophy.

On paper the Indians have the same chance as almost half a dozen contenders in what is widely being perceived as a pretty open World Cup. A glance at the teams and it must be said that the Indians have an impressive line-up. But to be candid equally impressive are the line-ups from Australia, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Each team has their own strengths and weaknesses and the dispassionate observer and keen and knowledgeable cricket follower will really find it tough to stick his neck out and predict the winner. Even some of the experts have expressed varying views while others have just said that it is an open World Cup.

The format for the tournament is another reason why half a dozen teams would appear to have equal chances. On form, reputation and rankings Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka (from group A) and India, South Africa, England and West Indies (from group B) should make it from the two pools and qualify for the quarter-finals. But with the knockout format taking over from here it is clearly a case of which team performs better and holds their nerves on a particular day. Whatever the pairings from here on no team can really be classified as no hopers.

It must be said though that the Indian team has some positive things going for them. The batting is arguably the strongest among all the participants and in sub-continental conditions this is a considerable advantage. Frequently this has helped cover up for the weaker aspect – the bowling. However it must be said in the same breath that now and then the much maligned and less glamorous bowlers have exceeded expectations and the Indian fan will no doubt hope that they will do so again on the biggest cricketing stage.

While the Indians are not exactly the best fielding side in the game today, the inclusion of youth has helped improve standards in this very important but sadly neglected aspect particularly in limited overs cricket. Ultimately in a close match more than the batting and bowling it is the fielding that can play a decisive role in the outcome and it is here that the Indians must perform above their level.

The leadership too will count in a big way and here the captain and the coach have a major role to play. Even a cursory glance at the champion teams over the years will underscore the inspirational role played by the captain in particular. So far Dhoni and Kirsten who obviously have a good working relationship have done an admirable job but for the World Cup they have a much bigger responsibility to shoulder. It was this lack of leadership with the coach taking over the dictatorial role and the captain looking on passively that was the main reason for the debacle in the Caribbean four years ago.

The team's think tank has the task of coming up with counter strategies and surprise tactics so very important in limited overs cricket. They will have to think out of the box, change the batting order depending upon the circumstances and adopt the horses for courses policy even if it means dropping an established player or a crowd favourite.

Ultimately how far the team progresses could well hinge on how the players perform under pressure. The unreasonable expectations of millions of cricket fans and the intense and sometimes unfair scrutiny by the media and the sponsors are unfortunately part of the package in Indian cricket.

Dhoni is aware of how important it is to overcome the pressure factor. In a recent interview he said that the Indian team was well equipped to handle the pressures of playing in a World Cup before home supporters. "Pressure is an added responsibility" said the 29-year-old Indian captain. "Whenever you play for India there is always pressure. But the good thing is we have a very experienced team. Most of the guys have been around for a long time and know how to handle pressure."

It is worth recalling however that the only time the Indian team has won the World Cup it was in a pressure–free ambiance with no high expectations and the result was that Kapil's Devils were able to perform in a relaxed manner being in a situation where they had nothing to lose but everything to gain.