India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes his players will cope with the expectation of being co-hosts and favourites at the World Cup, saying they have "changed the meaning of pressure into responsibility." India has previously co-hosted the tournament twice, in 1987 and 1996, finishing third both times.
Dhoni will lead a star-studded batting lineup that includes Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, and the captain said Tuesday at a news conference that India ``would take each game with a positive frame of mind.' Dhoni, who led India to a surprise triumph in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa three years ago, said he understood the expectations because cricket is the biggest sport in India.
"We will stick to the basics and hope that we do well. We definitely have the potential," Dhoni said. ``For a change, we won't be considered underdogs. Usually we have been playing under pressure and that has been a part of Indian cricket. "We are ready to perform well. We are not thinking about, 'What if we don't succeed?"
The 14-nation tournament, which is also co-hosted by Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, starts with a match between India and Bangladesh at Dhaka on February 19 and ends with the final in Mumbai on April 2. Dhoni said the schedule allowed plenty of time off between matches and will help his team.
"Getting the right schedule is always difficult," he said. "Either it can be too cramped or, like this one, too spaced out. We are looking to play the best 11 on each given day and hope that our main players do not miss out due to injuries. It is here that the rest in-between will help." India was drawn with England, South Africa, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands in Group B. Group A contains Australia, Sri Lanka Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Canada. Four teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals.
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