Hours before leaving for the West Indies, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday said the scheduling of the hectic IPL just before the Twenty20 World Cup will have no bearing on his team’s chances in the event beginning April 30.
Dhoni said there was no point in complaining about the scheduling of the tournament as they knew before hand that it will start just five days after the conclusion of IPL.
He said the scheduling will not be a concern for India as the team is together for most part of the year.
It’s not that we have not played games. Sometimes you have to just take the schedule what is available, no point complaining about it.
IPL was supposed to finish on 25th. We had one and half day rest after that, then one whole day of flight and then after reaching there, we have 2-3 days which is more than enough, Dhoni told reporters ahead of the Indian team?s departure to the Caribbean.
If we play to our potential, if every player plays according to his role and responsibility, I feel we have good chances. So, hope for the best, Dhoni added.
His views were backed by India coach Gary Kirsten who said the team will give its best shot in the tournament no matter what the schedule is.
We have got the schedule and can’t do anything about it now. The Indian players may feel the heat of it more because all of them played in the IPL but our responsibility is to go out there and ensure that we are well prepared. We will do what we can in these circumstances, he said.
We are looking forward to the World Cup. It is a big tournament and we will like to go out there and perform. We know we can play good cricket, Kirsten added.
Going into the World Cup, Yuvraj Singh’s form is a major concern for India but Dhoni said his return to runs is just a matter of time.
Yuvraj is a great player, one of the best in the T20 format, one of the biggest hitters of the ball and he can contribute with the ball at the same time. He has not scored too many runs in the IPL but at the same time it’s not a big worrying factor.
In the T20 format you need just 5 to 10 deliveries to strike form. He is hitting the ball swell. So we are not too much worried about it, he said.
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