Good that Dhoni & Yuvraj are back

Team India will look to regain the confidence of the public in the upcoming T20 World Cup after a very ordinary phase in the recent past. The exit in the Asia Cup without making the title round was in a way expected as the squad was young and inexperienced. However, Team India will be expected to do well in the major tournament. The return of Yuvraj Singh and a rejuvenated M. S. Dhoni will give the fillip to a team that needs a spark to recreate the magic in the shorter formats of the game. Dhoni’s absence in the Asia Cup was a blessing in disguise as he would have had the time to reflect on what he needs to do apart from getting recharged physically. He has been playing non-stop in all the formats and the rest would have done him a world of good.

The return of Yuvraj Singh will provide the explosive factor that is required in the T20 format for Team India. Besides, his left-arm spin will come in handy on tracks that are on the slower side. The dashing left-hander will be keen to re-establish his position in the team given that he has been in and out recently. There is no doubt that he is a game-changer which is perhaps the reason why the selectors have picked him. However, he needs to prove that he can be a livewire on the field as comparisons will be made of his agility in the past with his current ability. Of course, by no means is he a liability, but, ironically, the very standard he established on his arrival into the Indian team will pose him some problems. Yuvraj has the uncanny knack of hitting the straps on big occasions and the T20 World Cup is a platform he will relish.

The line-up of other teams will indicate that they expect the pitches to favour spin a wee bit and as such, the teams from the Sub-Continent will fancy their chances. This does not mean that other teams can be taken lightly as they have gained enough experience of the T20 format as also the recipe for success on slow and low tracks by virtue of playing in the IPL. Despite all the negative views expressed about the IPL, the biggest positive is that players from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies have benefitted immensely in more ways than one playing in the IPL. Players from these Nations have learnt to counterattack spinners on helpful tracks with confidence which was not the case prior to their gaining exposure in the IPL.

Team India won the inaugural edition at which point in time it was evident that other teams had not cracked the code to succeed in the T20 format. But over the years there has been a paradigm shift in the approach of those teams. Hence it will be even more challenging for Team India in this edition of the T20 World Cup. But the heartening factor is that all the players in the squad are key members for their respective franchisees which means they are extremely capable of being match-winners. This is one aspect that might separate Team India from the rest.

Team India has succeeded largely due to its captain’s ability to improvise as things unfold on the field. With his return after a well-earned rest, one can expect Dhoni to be a step ahead as he was when he led the team to success. The lack of success in the Tests notwithstanding, Dhoni is still the right man to lead India as of now. Hopefully, he will go on to add one more feather to his cap by winning the title. The only difference now is that Dhoni needs to win to prove a point and it remains to be seen if he can make his own luck yet again.