It was great to see the photographs of the opening ceremony in Dhaka. The photos of rickshaws, rehearsing to carry the captains in it around the ground, reminded me of the lane in front of my house where there are so many of them. The culture of Bangladesh is so similar to my state of West Bengal, there is so much in common. It’s great to see that the World Cup organising committee in Bangladesh has maintained the heritage of the country, which is so
very important.Mirpur is in any case a beautiful stadium and I am told that it has been further renovated, to make the facilities even better. The cricket crazy people of Bangladesh will not only be looking at Bryan Adams but also the contingent of Indian performers, who will be there in Bangladesh.
This opening ceremony nostalgically brings back memories of the 2003 opening ceremony in South Africa at Cape Town and to me the opening ceremony is the bell which will mark the beginning of the biggest show in the next forty-five days.
India’s first match is against Bangladesh, who will be looking to make an impression in their home ground. They are a much improved side and could be a threat at their backyard as they know the conditions very well. But if India can deliver 75 per cent of their potential there will be no hiccup.
Lot of people are talking about India’s infamous World Cup loss to Bangladesh in the previous edition of the tournament. To me that will be a huge reminder to the Indian team not to be complacent and they will be up and ready on the 19th.
Mirpur has always been a good batting wicket unless it is prepared differently this time. It’s going to be a feast of runs on that wicket.
India has been in terrific form in the warm-up games. Although these are only warm-up games but sure India will carry the confidence of having done very well in them into the tournament. This is a very strong team and to a lot of people around the world, favourites to win the title.
I am not a firm believer of the tag favourites and don’t want it to create pressure on the boys. Rather they should be allowed to focus, take it one game at a time and look to give their best so that the bigger goal could be achievable.
The days of Australian dominance seems over. This World Cup is an even platform and as of today the three best teams along with India are South Africa, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. So where does Australia go from here?
Three consecutive World Cup wins means that they surely have the ability to rise to the occasion in big tournaments, remember, Ricky Ponting has not dropped a game as captain. But this current team doesn’t look as formidable and their confidence seems to have taken a beating, especially with the heavy Ashes defeat and the aftermath surrounding the series. Their performances in the two warm-up games have been very ordinary. They really have to lift their game to be successful.
They play in Sri Lanka where the wickets will turn and how well they handle it will be the biggest challenge for them, especially after capitulating from a winning position under sustained spin pressure against India in the warm up game.
Their success will depend on how David Hussey, Callum Fergusson, Cameron White and Steve Smith deliver. They looked soft against spin and unless they improve hugely it could be a huge burden.
The West Indies have an outside chance in this tournament but New Zealand to me looks to be the weakest of the big boys. Their bowling will have to find a way out as was apparent in the warm-up games, where they conceded huge runs.
Overall it’s going to be a cricket extravaganza for forty-five days and I hope we will see a new champion lift the coveted trophy this time.
Sourav Ganguly is former Indian cricket captain
