26 January,2011 09:03 AM IST | | Harit N Joshi
India's 1999 World Cup coach Anshuman Gaekwad sees only fitness as a hurdle for Dhoni's men Fast bowler Munaf Patel stretches during a training session in Durban on the recent tour of South Africa.
Losing the ODI series 2-3 without India's leading cricketers ufffd Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir ufffd was a commendable effort in testing South African conditions. The fighting spirit which was on display, has only raised the expectations from Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men at the forthcoming World Cup.
India's 1999 World Cup coach Anshuman Gaekwad takes stock of India's chances in an interview to MiD DAY
yesterday.
Excerpts:
PIC/GETTY IMAGES
On India's World Cup chances:
They are very good. Recent performances in India and overseas have been quite incredible.
The best part is the combination of youth and experience is working very well for Team India. I am hopeful and confident of India's chances. This team has great potential to lift the World Cup.
On whether this is India's best ever World Cup team:
This is definitely the best Indian team we have had for a World Cup.
Let's not forget that we will be playing matches in February-March when it is going to be hot. This is a clear advantage to our batsmen and bowlers.
On team balance:
Dhoni has a lot of options to play with. We have all-rounders who can do the job for us.
Yusuf Pathan is doing really well. Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina could chip in with a few good overs.
Overall, things look good.
The down side:
There have been a lot of problems with fitness recently.
Most players have been in and out, especially bowlers like Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar. If they keep up the fitness levels, the story could be different.
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On the three-man spin attack:
Harbhajan Singh is a great bowler; R Ashwin, a good offie. They have considered Piyush Chawla who can also bat.
However, instead of Ashwin they could have picked left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. That could have given India an edge over other teams because there are hardly any good left-arm spinners in the world.
On dealing with home pressure:
The best way to deal with it is to play your normal game. If they are going to think about the pressure, they will only hamper their chances.
On the hype around Sachin Tendulkar's sixth World Cup:
After playing international cricket for more than 20 years and featuring in five World Cups, I don't think all this will affect Sachin.
He is the one who is keen to play in the World Cup.
The whole team would want to win the Cup with Sachin.
On Dhoni's captaincy:
Dhoni's calmness could be India's biggest advantage, especially in high-pressure matches. After all, if a captain reacts hastily, his decisions won't end up being right.
If you are calm, youu00a0will make the right calls. Dhoni should not change anything in his leadership style.
