ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

I think India will win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on 2nd April 2011. Not because it is a great all round team but because it is too difficult a team to beat in sub-continent conditions.

This combination of brilliant batting line up, good fielding and mediocre bowling could prove too hot to handle by their opponents from quarterfinals onwards. Results with comments will be published at http://www.softoolsme.com/CricketWorldCup2011

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Really! Once there can be a confusion but 3 times? Especially when there was no run-rate pressure and plenty of overs left in the match. It just shows how pressure can cloud your thinking.

 Yes he played very well. But I also saw Yuvraj talking to him frequently - seemed like telling him "don't lose it, keep calm."

Come on England!!

A pretty inconsistent World Cup so far, but after scraping through the group stages, hopefully we can spring a surprise in the Quarter Final tomorrow.

We saw New Zealand upsetting SA's apple cart. England can upset SL's - if they can handle the 2 Ms -  Malinga and Murali.

England batting was totally uninspiring. 229 in 50 overs with 4 wickets in hand. Un 4 wickets ka achar daal rahe thhe kya? They could have at least TRIED to make 250 or 260!

If the score had been 260, Sri Lanka would have played with a different mind set and pressure. Anything can happen under pressure - like we saw in SA vs. NZ match.

I think India will lose to Pakistan in the semi-finals. And what was Gautam Gambhir thinking.

मुझे लगता है कि भारत सेमीफाइनल में पाकिस्तान को खो देंगे.
और क्या गौतम गंभीर सोच रहा था?

Let us see. Anything can happen, but I would like to believe that India can only be beaten by Sri Lanka, that too on India's seriously off day. Firstly it's too much to expect from Pakistan to play well continuously for so many matches and secondly Indian batting line is nearly impregnable.

If India's batting line is SO strong than why have they gone all out so many time. Also, it seems like when ever Sachin Tendulkar scores one hundred, the whole team depends on him and once he gets out India's batsman fall like dominoes.

In other news, it's nice how Sehwag always starts the inning with a four.

 I have nothing against India, I want them to win but... they need to do a better job

 I view the same data differently. In spite of the shortcomings that you correctly mentioned, India has lost only to South Africa so far in the tournament, that too by a whisker and NOT while chasing. It always managed to post a decent total, if not an extremely challenging one. An incorrect mindset during batting power play was the cause of all those fall of wickets in death. This has been recognised . If we go by the match against Australia, apparently this problem has been addressed too.

I cannot be totally objective, however hard I may try, but my view is that top seven batsmen of Indian side are simply too much for any side in this cup on a given day in Indian conditions. They more than compensate for it's mediocre bowling.

But 30th March will not be just any "given day". The pressures of playing against each other, in front of vociferous crowd and their prime ministers will definitely cramp the styles of both sides. Assuming both sides remain equally strong mentally and have same slice of luck, India "has decisive advantage" :-) .

Only against Australia Sehwag did not open with first ball four, but opened with a four nevertheless.