ICC World Twenty20: Mahendra Singh Dhoni hopes IPL experience helps overturn Team India's misfortunes
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is back after taking a break due to a side strain, admits Team India is pooled together in a tough group comprising Australia, Pakistan and West Indies for upcoming ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived with his team in Bangladesh on Friday in Dhaka for the ICC World Twenty20 and expects the experience of playing in Indian Premier League to help his side achieve success in the marquee tournament starting on March 21.
"We have got bowlers who have played lot of T20. You may say not internationally but all of them have played quite a few T20 games in India, especially the IPL and the condition being quite similar here, that will really help them. The standard of IPL is high. They play against some of the best players and they have to execute their plans and I think that will really help them," Dhoni said in a press conference at Dhaka on Friday.
India won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007 but have failed to reach the knockout stages in the last three editions. This year too, their task is cut out as they have been put in the same group as arch-rivals Pakistan, defending champions West Indies and in-form Australia. (BCCI snub Sunil Gavaskar, won't sack Duncan Fletcher)
Dhoni, who returned after a much-needed break during the Asia Cup due to a side strain, said he was looking to treat each and every game as an important one and look to find the right combination in the warm-up ties.
"The group is very tough and for us all the matches will be important. And we will take learning from the last T20 World Cup, where we lost just one match. Every game will have its own importance. Before that we have got warm up matches also. We will try out our combinations and see to that that maximum players get chance so that before the first match we can have our playing XI ready."
Following poor performances on tours of South Africa and New Zealand followed by a disappointing showing in the Asia Cup, the pressure is on Dhoni and his men to deliver the goods. The team will be buoyed by the fact that a win in the World T20 will give India an opportunity to be holders of three ICC titles -- ICC World Cup 2011, ICC Champions Trophy 2013 being the other two -- at the same time.
India open their tournament proper campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on March 21.