WC 2015: 5 outcomes if Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Team India win the World Cup
Mumbai: Although coming into the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 as defending champions, Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Team India didn’t start as favourites after a disastrous performance in the Tests and Tri Series Down Under. But that soon changed after the Men in Blue got off to a terrific start at the Adelaide Oval with a thumping win over arch-nemesis Pakistan to make it six out of six wins at cricket’s grandest stage of them all.
Currently, India are enjoying their winning streak with five convincing wins on the trot and with just one game to go against Zimbabwe in the group stage, Dhoni and Co. will look to go into the quarterfinals confident and on a winning note. Defeating non Test -playing nation Ireland by eight wickets in their latest win at Seddon Park, it’s hard to look at this team with anything but awe. One agrees that the road ahead is tough but there are signs the young side will lift its third World Cup come the end of March.
So what happens if Team India win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015? Here are five potential outcomes:
Fitting send off to ‘Captain Cool’ MS Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has already announced his retirement from the Test format while India were playing Australia at Melbourne in December last year. In all certainty, the India ODI skipper, who is now 33 years old won’t be able to see his side through in the next edition of the World Cup in 2019, where the tournament starts rolling at the Mecca of cricket- Lord’s. After Dhoni’s Test retirement, it’s easy to say now that this might be his last World Cup, and a win will only be a fitting send off by the team to the skipper. Mind you, if Team India are able to clinch the title, it will be only the third time a nation could defend the crown after West Indies and Australia. And after entering parenthood, the new dad should need some time to spend with baby daughter Ziva.
Seals Ravi Shastri’s position as Team India Director
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) surprised everyone and appointed former India captain Ravi Shastri as Team India Director in August last year, for the five-match ODI series in England. Some thought that it was the end of Chief coach Duncan Fletcher. However, Fletcher retained his position while Sanjay Bangar was appointed an assistant to him. Shastri’s presence in the side has bolstered the team’s confidence tremendously. Skipper Dhoni was seen spending some quality time with the former legend and it looked like Shastri was seen helping him on execution of the horizontal bat shots – namely the productive pull shot.
Read: Of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma; how Ravi Shastri mentored Team India
Shastri has respected the team, even the anger of Virat Kohli although he said it should be channelised in the right direction. Recently, he was also confident that his side will even lift the trophy. With such skills and sheer confidence, who will not want him to mentor the players?
Good platform for Virat Kohli to take over
India’s star swashbuckling batsman Virat Kohli, whose innings proves vital in the side has always remained Dhoni’s go-to man and he never disappoints. If Dhoni does retire and its almost certain that he will, the Delhi-born Kohli is likely to take over the reins from the experienced skipper, and he’s already showed signs of leading from the front. After Dhoni’s immediate Test retirement, Kohli took over the captaincy in December and immediately went into business scoring his fourth century of the series on day three of the fourth Test against Australia. The 26-year-old became the first Test captain in cricket history to score three centuries in the first three innings.
(Photo: Facebook)
And squashing all rumours of an alleged rift between Kohli and Dhoni, the two are good buddies and engage in small talk during their free time – a recent trip to a coffee shop tells the truth.
Worth celebrating 'India Ka Tyohaar'
The Mauka’s successful wave has just shifted to the glamorous lucrative T20 Indian Premier League. A win for the Men in Blue should do them a whole lot of good in making the upcoming edition of the IPL, that starts rolling on April 8.
Watch: After ‘Mauka’, it is time for ‘India Ka Tyohaar’
Players like Ravichandran Ashwin, Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Rohit Sharma, who all play for Chennai Super Kings will look to seal their World Cup campaign and get their hands on the 11kg gold trophy.
Who said India can’t play Down Under!
Before the world event began, Team India had a very poor successful record in Australia failing like nine pins. Call it luck or a raise in the graph, Team India are not only on a successful record nine wins but are also tumbling records with every match they play. A World Cup win would surely shut critics’ mouth for good and after grabbing the trophy, who would have said this Indian vibrant team had just defended their World Cup in Australia where the conditions were highly against them.
