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ICC Champions Trophy
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India has won the tournament once before, in 2002, when they were the joint winners along with Sri Lanka at Colombo. In the previous edition, they were knocked out in the first round.
Strengths:
The batting holds the key. India has always been known to be a batting-heavy side, and despite the absence of Virender Sehwag, they will have the services of a fully fit Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina, with Yuvraj Singh and M.S.Dhoni himself down the order. And if Gautam Gambhir can repeat his efforts in 2007-08, it will be one of the strongest batting line-ups around.
Weaknesses:
The absence of Virender Sehwag steals away that fear-factor at the top for the opposition bowlers. Also the penetration that the injured Zaheer Khan usually provides with the ball in his hand. Both the players injured their shoulders during the IPL and their absence will reduce India’s potency with both, the bat and the ball.
Opportunities:
The biggest opportunity that all the three teams in the group will have, apart from the West Indies, is the presence of the second string Windies side. This would almost make the battle for the semi-finals spot a three-way race between India, Australia and Pakistan. And with Pakistan in one of the most erratic forms of their life, it does look like India will be the favorites to get into the knock-out round.
Threats:
The short ball! It was India’s bane in the ICC World T20 and the bowlers all around will look to exploit the issue even in the fifty overs format. With the pitches in South Africa usually conducive to the quick bowlers, the Indian batsmen will need to beware of this, and practice long and hard in the nets to get their act together during the tournament.
Comments
hi indians come on will win the trophy,you get the first rank in your statius.
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