Can India retain the T20 World Cup title?

Biswajit Jha The eventful year of 2007- When the zealots of the Indian T20 team led by MS Dhoni…then a destructive batsman, set foot in South Africa, no one predicted they would be the first team to win the inaugural T20 World Cup. The team had not done anything extraordinary in the shorter format of the game after the disastrous outing in the World Cup held in the Caribbean. To add to the woes, they had an overall experience of playing just one T20 match altogether. Moreover, for the first time in more than a decade, the team’s batting line-up would be without arguably the three best batsmen of modern era-Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. Leave the Pundits, the team could not instill confidence even in the hardest of Indian cricket fans. However, it was a miracle unfolding in South Africa as the bunch of rookies, led by Dhoni did what no one ever dreamt of- they lifted the coveted trophy in Johannesburg, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the cliff-hanger of a final.It wouldn’t be the use of a hyperbole if we were to say that the victory changed the face of Indian cricket forever. It was probably first time that India overcame the psychological barrier of the over-dependency on individual stars. Apart from getting a new batting sensation in Gautam Gambhir, captain Dhoni emerged as really a cool customer in the face of crises, a trait which has helped him establish himself as the undisputed leader of Team India. Now, after two years, the men in blue are ready to rock again, this time more challenges are awaiting for them as they are the defending World Champions. It is said that if it is hard to reach the top, retaining that position is even harder. In the same way, India, arguably the best T20 team in the world, need to play well to retain the World Champions tag. A cursory look at the team reveals that it’s a dream team to represent the country.The batting line-up is one of the most destructive in world cricket with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir opening the innings. The very thought of bowling to them can give any bowler excruciating nightmares. Though they were not at their best in the IPL, they are class players and can return to form any day. They will be followed by a versatile middle-order, consisting of powerful Suresh Raina and circumspect and resourceful MS Dhoni, who can change his style of batting according to the need of the hour. He is followed by another explosive T20 batsman-Yuvraj Singh, the only player to hit six sixes in an over in this format. On his day, Yuvraj can be as destructive as anybody and can turn the match on its head. Then comes elegantly destructive Rohit Sharma, who burst into the international scene in the first edition of T20 World Cup in 2007. The number six spot would automatically go to another fierce striker of the ball- Yusuf Pathan. At number seven India has the luxury of playing all-rounders like Irfan Pathan or Ravindra Jadeja. The team bats deep as tailenders Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan can whack the cricket ball out of the park.The bowling department is also not insipid as the team has a good mix of pace and spin, the main criteria for any good bowling unit. Over the past two years, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma have proven themselves as one of the most lethal new-ball pairs in the world. They will be well supported by a resurgent RP Singh, who forced his way into the side on the back of his superb show in recently concluded Indian Premier League season two where he became the highest wicket-taker. The big advantage of having these bowlers in wet English conditions is that all the bowlers get destructive when they get swing. Even the back-up seamer - Praveen Kumar is predominantly a swing bowler and has an uncanny knack of picking up wickets both with the new and the old ball. Kumar also uses his grey matter well and sends down good slower ones to create a lot of confusion in the minds of opposition batsmen.India possess the best spin attack in the world today with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. The wily Harbhajan is a proven customer and can revel in any condition. However, what comes as a big bonus is the emergence of Ojha in the IPL, where he picked up 18 wickets. With his guile and loop, Ojha bamboozled even the best in the business in the event besides being highly economical. It’s not sure whether he would make it to the final XI, but given a chance he can be a match-winner on his day. This is not all, what makes this side a champion material is the all-round skills of its players. Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma claimed three hat-tricks between them in the IPL. Suresh Raina often proved to be a partnership-breaker for his Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni. This is the case too with off-spinning duo of Yusuf Pathan and Virender Sehwag. The bowling all-rounders, such as Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar make it a perfect team. With two or three world class fielders in their ranks, on paper, India are the best team and most potent title contenders. Having said that, experience teaches us that in the volatile T20 format, predictions often go haywire. As India upset the best of the teams last time to win the crown, any team can emerge as a spoiler of India’s hope of retaining the title.