In 2011, when India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were co-hosting the World Cup, it was widely believed that none of the host nations would win the coveted trophy because of a myth that hosts seldom snag the World Cup. India put an end to that gaming legend, and now Australia and New Zealand want to reinforce the fact that this isn’t the case.
That’s easier said than done. Undoubtedly, Australia are one of the best teams in the completion so much so that they can even leave out their regular ODI captain M Clarke from the Word Cup and still go ahead and play the final match. No other team can afford to do that. Can anyone imagine the Indian team without Dhoni?
They are also the No 1 team in the ICC rankings and showed great characters while eliminating some of top teams like India and England in the triangular series. Their approach towards every opponent has been clinical and the boys have grown in confidence after every win, within the month.
“Australia is one of the top teams in the competition and I would also peg them as semi-finalists along with India, New Zealand and South Africa,” former Indian captain, Rahul Dravid, said last month during an event in Delhi.
The Aussies know their conditions better than any other opponent and would be getting a massive backing from the home crowd. Right from their batting, bowling to sharp fielding, this team can do no wrong in the tournament. Whether or not they go the distance is yet to be seen. India is the only team in this completion the hosts respect immensely.
Even the Kiwis have been quite unstoppable. They practically won every series they played and right now they are the most dangerous side at home. The South Africans would vouch for it after their warm-up game against the New Zealand. Their captain Brendon McCullum is in form of his life and even the former captain Martin Crowe wants to see his team doing what he couldn’t do as a skipper and that is to win the World Cup. Let’s see how far can they go this time!
