Kanakagiri Siddhartha
It is just 2 more days to go for the showpiece event of Limited Overs International Cricket to start. The 50 over World Cup!
Thanks to the initial plan to do away with associate members being shelved, we have 14 teams playing this tournament and given the make-up of the preliminary rounds, we could expect a few surprises resulting in one of the "Big" teams failing to make it to the knockouts, especially in Group B .
I think the one team that looks most settled this time is New Zealand, with the kind of form their players have been in in the last 18 or so months. And NZ is a team that always punched above their weight in big tournaments.
South Africa have the best batsman in the world right now, A B Devilliers, who can win the world cup on his own, but then Cricket is a team game. Along with ABD, South Africa's chances depend on Amla and Steyn. If one of these three pull their weight, SA should win the cup. But as a team, SA have always played below their potential in big games, which they would want to redress this time.
India, have a weak bowling unit as everybody knows, and a weak batting unit, apart from Kohli and Rahane, which no one seems to have noticed. I won't be surprised if one of Zimbabwe or Ireland beat them. I think not selecting Pujara was a mistake.
Other teams to watch out for: Australia, like always and....thats it really.
Players to watch out for :
A B Devilliers : I rate him higher than Tendulkar and Lara. Enough said.
Dale Steyn : Australian pitches do not suit his style. He likes a challenge. So he will be a threat anyway.
Kane Williamson : He is someone who i back to score 10000 test runs and and more. Which naturally means he will be a great one day player also.
Ajinkya Rahane : Every opponent who plays India will target Kohli. So Rahane can slip under the radar. But will be key to India's chances.
Let the games begin!