If you believe former Indian master blaster Virender Sehwag, the 15-cricket nations touring India for the Twenty20 World Cup may as well not show up.
Sehwag made the bold prediction that India were deadset certainties at a cricket function.
“India have 99 per cent chance of winning the World T20. India have been winning and they have the perfect combination,” Sehwag said.
“The pitches will assist spinners as the tournament goes on. We have a better chance than other teams.”
Of course, you have to take what any former Indian cricketer says with a grain of salt. Ravi Shastri emphatically predicted India would win the 2015 ODI World Cup.
“[India] are not going to give any chances to any of our opponents and we are going to lift the trophy,” he said before the tournament.
Yes, you would expect any former player from any major cricket nation to talk up their country but with India it’s a different kind of confidence. It’s not an ‘if we play well and player x fires I think we can win’. It’s more ‘we will win and there are no two buts about it’.
That positive talk about India’s chances seems like the only sensible way for past players to approach it, lest they create a storm of not being patriotic enough.
Sunil Gavaskar has been one of few former players to be critical of India after their ordinary tour to Australia in 2014-15 where they lost the Test series and suffered a heavy defeat in the World Cup semi-final.
To be fair, Twenty20 is a different kettle of fish. India’s top order has been firing on all cylinders and only four times in the last 13 matches has the team lost more than five wickets in an innings. But it still doesn’t make them invincible.
Early in February, the team showed when the top order doesn’t fire, there’s not much behind it after Sri Lanka bowled them out for 101 and won by five wickets.
Saurav Ganguly blamed that performance on an off day for the team and a juicy pitch. He proved to be right as India have won their last seven, but in a Twenty20 tournament that one off day could happen in a final, just like in India’s semi-final loss against Australia at the 2015 ODI World Cup.
India were always going to be favourites with home conditions but a 99 per cent chance of winning, Virender? To quote a line from The Castle: “Tell him he’s dreaming”.
AP Sehgal
Roar Rookie
Just pointing out an error in the article, I don't exactly disagree with your points. Personally I think it will be India 4-0 next time round, but hopefully it will be a well-contested series.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
Aussies haven't got the attack to win the tournament.
Chris
Guest
Yeah isnt this just what certain retired players say, every nation has the 'we will win 5-0' retired player who says this. Its fun.
Chris
Guest
Are you being sarcastic in your first sentence and then then dead pan in your second?
Craig Swanson
Guest
AP. You only got within cooee of us in that series because generous CA delivered you flat tracks for Rahane and Kholi to dine out on. Had they been the usual hard, bouncy decks that provide lateral movement it would have been the usual Aussie whitewash. I can also tell you that come next year when we tour India we will not be the easybeats of past tours. There has been some movement at the station with pitches now built in Brisbane that replicate those we may find in Mumbai, Nagpur or wherever dust bowl decks abound.
Craig Swanson
Guest
That comment tells me Sehwag has inside knowledge that the decks will be turners. Playing right into India's hands as they are fine players of spin and boast the best spin bowlers in their home conditions.
SP
Guest
Did they even win a game at all on that tour?
JamesH
Roar Guru
I think there's a bit of Glenn McGrath about Sehwag's comments. India deserve to be one of the favourites due to current form and the fact that they are hosts. But as everyone knows, T20s are the least forgiving format of the game. It only takes one off day - or even a few bad overs - for a favourite to be bundled out. There is so little chance to rebuild an innings if things go pear-shaped (the 2nd Aus vs SA T20 being a rare example to the contrary). As for Shastri, I stopped listening to anything he says after his absurd defence of the awful Nagpur pitch in the SA test series last year.
Targa
Guest
I admit that India are certainly favourites but they are in the pool of death and might not even make the semis. Pakistan will be targetting the India game as they (Pak) always seem to lose to India in WCs. No doubt Afridi wants to beat the old enemy one last time. Australia has a stacked T20 batting lineup, and NZ (still yet to lose a T20 against India) will be driven to play for Martin Crowe (their game against India will be their 1st game since his passing). If Bangladesh qualify, they will be a threat too. It is too tight to call.
Don Freo
Guest
They did win even one of them,
AP Sehgal
Roar Rookie
India lost that test series 2-0, not 4-0.
Al
Guest
I think Mcgrath has predicted that we'll win 5-0.