Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly believes that Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men are a team to beat in the limited-overs format and have a good chance of defending their World Cup title in Australia-New Zealand.
India’s form in Test matches is a cause of concern but Ganguly insisted that it will not impact their performance in the one-dayers. Team India faced a drubbing in whites recently against England, but clinched the ODI series comprehensively.
“India have got a good chance of defending the World Cup,” Ganguly said “They are a very good One-Day International (ODI) side wherever they play. Whether it is Australia or England, they are a top one-day side.”
“Test matches overseas are an issue, but I am not really too worried about ODI performances and I think they will do well in Australia and New Zealand,” he added.
Team India will travel Australia to play four Test matches and a tri-series featuring England as a third team. The tri-series will provide an ideal tune up for the men in blue before they face Pakistan in the first match of the World Cup at Adelaide Oval.
“The players will get accustomed, but I don’t think they will get tired,” Ganguly insisted. “They should not be thinking about this at all whether they are getting tired or not.”
“The team will get a two-week break after the tri-series,” he added. “They will come back to India and then go for the World Cup. A two-week break is enough these days.”
