Last Updated on 2 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has described the Suryakumar Yadav-led Men in Blue as one of the “most dangerous teams” ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The defending champions walk into the home World Cup far and away the best side in the world. India have lost just eightt matches and won 51 since October 2023. This includes an unbeaten World Cup campaign in the Caribbean and United States of America during the summer of 2024 and a spotless Asia Cup campaign last September.
MS Dhoni believes India have all bases covered for the T20 World Cup but must overcome two factors
Also, they are coming off series wins over Australia (2-1 in Australia), South Africa (3-1), and New Zealand (4-1). Speaking to Jatin Sapru at a recent event, MS Dhoni said that India boasts plenty of experience in all facets of the game to get the job done in front of their home fans in the coming six weeks.
“What all is needed in a good team, everything is there. They have the experience, especially when it comes to this format, the experience is vast. They have played under pressure. Whoever is playing whatever roles they are playing in the team, they have been in that situation for a considerable period of time,” Dhoni said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
But T20 remains a fickle format, and a combination of dew and an opposition player having a day out can send an otherwise strong team packing. Dhoni found that out when he captained India to a semi-final defeat against the West Indies in dewy conditions in Mumbai 10 years ago.
And these factors, according to the 2007 World Cup-winning captain, can spoil India’s part at the showpiece event.
“What worries me, again, I hate dew. Dew changes a lot of things. Even when I was playing, something that really scared me was dew, where the toss becomes crucial and all of that,” he said.
“If we are playing ten matches against some of the best teams, we will come out as winners more often than not, if the conditions are neutral and all of that. The problem is when some of your players have a day off, and somebody from the opposition has a brilliant day, and it can happen in T20 cricket.
“So that’s the time – whether in the league stage or the knockout stage, that’s where all the praying is needed. You know, nobody should get injured. Whatever roles are given, people should accomplish their roles for the team. And if that’s the case, I don’t want to jinx it, but it’s one of the most dangerous teams,” Dhoni said.
India are up against history, as neither a defending champion has been able to retain the title nor has a home team ever won a T20 World Cup. Will history repeat itself this March or will India script their own history? We’ll soon find out.
