Jaded India not taking any chances against lowly Afghanistan

The Indian team took it easy ahead of today's World Twenty20 opening game against Afghanistan.
But it has nothing to do with the fact that the former champions are taking on the babies of world T20 cricket.

It has more to do with the Indian Premier League. Most of the players are jaded and in dire need of rest, something they have been doing since they landed in the West Indies. And catching up on sleep too!
"Those who played the IPL final are in need of some rest. I missed a few games early on because of injuries so I am still in pretty good shape," India skipper MS Dhoni said.


Afghanistan players celebrate an Irish wicket during a warm-up game
in Guyana on Wednesday

The Indian team opted for a net session yesterday afternoon and overall, they seem to be looking more at feeling fresh about the World Cup considering that they have played a lot of cricket.

The team's journey, that was spread over 24 hours with two stopovers, was compounded by the fact that they had to take another two-hour bus journey from the airport to the team hotel leaving them totally exhausted.

While today's match is not likely to pose any real threat to the experienced Indian side, the team is not willing to take any risks. What they mean by risk wasn't explained but in all likelihood, it means the team does not want a repeat of last year when India, the defending champions, only beat Bangladesh and Ireland in the competition and did not go past the Super Eights.

What could also be playing on their mind is the defeat to Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup, a tournament in which India did not go past the first stage.

"We haven't heard anything about Afghanistan so it is difficult to say anything. But they must have worked hard as without hard work, they would not have reached here. In a format like this, if you lose one match, you have to face the consequences," Dhoni said. For Afghanistan, the journey has been nothing short of a dream and they will be pushing harder now to announce themselves on the world stage.

The country has a history of cricket, the first registered match was played on February 18, 1897. But after a long lull due to the ban on the game by Taliban, it was revived only in 2000. They became an International Cricket Council affiliated member in 2001 and now find themselves a constant source of excitement for other teams and fans alike in the West Indies.

"We will play better than what is expected from us," said skipper Nowroz Mangal.

This will be the first time our match will be televised live for people back home. There is tremendous interest in Afghanistan and after the success in athletics at the SAF games, the focus is not on cricket. This is a big stage and a big opportunity for us," Mangal said.

Afghanistan may be short on quality players and experience, but they will more than make up for it with their never say die attitude. For most in Afghanistan, even the basic necessities were not always available which made them fight everyday for survival and they will surely bring that spirit on the field too.
Will they give India a scare? In cricket. nothing can be ruled out.