WC 2015: Here is why India will win World Cup

Mumbai: After coming into the tournament with more brickbats than on a bed of roses, Team India has looked a completely different outfit in World Cup 2015. While a tough semifinal against Australia awaits, here are five reasons why India will overcome the Aussie hurdle and then successfully defend the World Cup title in Melbourne.

Good in ICC tournaments:

No matter how India perform in bi-lateral or ODI series involving three or more teams, the MS Dhoni-led unit in the past has given enough proof to indicate that it has a plesant tendency to up its game in ICC events.

The victory in the inaugural edition of World T20, lifting the 2011 World Cup and then outplaying England to lift the Champions Trophy in 2013 are sufficient pointers to back this team to successfully defend the World Cup title it won four years ago in Mumbai at Wankhede.

(Photo: AFP)

Abysmal show in pre-World Cup events:

While building a momentum is a key to success, Indian teams have followed a rather strange tradition to become successful in World Cups. No matter who is leading the side, India tend to up their game when they perform rather poorly ahead of World Cup.

Historical evidence suggests that India do well in World Cups when they come into the mega event following a poor series. In 1983, West Indies trumped India before they went on to win the country’s first World Cup. In 1987, when India reached the semifinals, they were beaten by Pakistan in the bilateral series ahead of the World Cup.

(Photo: AP)

In 2003, just ahead of their stupendous rise in South Africa, India were humbled in New Zealand. And right before their 2011 World Cup triumph, South Africa defeated the national team in the bi-lateral series.

Proving that pattern, India have reached the semifinals of the eleventh edition of World Cup, following a poor show in the tri-series and Tests in Australia. While this is quite an achievement, winning the World Cup trophy would be the icing on the cake.

MS Dhoni leadership factor:

Call him laidback or more reactive than proactive, it is foolish to ignore the fact that MS Dhoni guided India to win more number of ICC trophies than any Indian captain would have ever won.

Watch: Captain Cool MS Dhoni is a big hit on stump mic

While some tried to rob him of his credit saying India won the World Cup in 2011 because there were many experienced players, Dhoni has done enough to prove that he can ably power any group of individuals to add ICC titles against India’s name.

(Photo: AP)

IPL right after the World Cup:

While the Indian Premier League’s impact on the current lot of players and their success at the highest level is a topic open for debate, there is a strange co-incidence that has linked the cash-rich IPL to the World Cup 2011. At that time, there was hardly any gap between the final of the World Cup and the opening game of the IPL.

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This time around the scenario is no different.  By design or sheer randomness, the IPL 2011 began on April 8 and so is the IPL 2015.

Bowling, fielding and batting:

Last but not the least, India have managed to click as a unit in the World Cup 2015. While fans were a bit worried about Rohit Sharma’s form, his match-winning World Cup ton against Bangaldesh must have reduced the worries. Although Ravindra Jadeja is yet to find his mojo, the other members of the team have done enough to cover up the two’s rather below-par performance.

(Photo: AP)

The bowlers have hit the ground running, with Mohammed Shami being in top three of the list of bowlers with most number of wickets. Every member of the batting line-up has taken up responsibility whenever required. The fielding, including that of the bowlers, has been top notch as well.