Bleeding blue and loving it

India has got off to a very good start at the cricket world cup with victories in
all the matches it has contested so far. The manner in which India played in
the three matches has been marked by discipline and a plan has been followed to
counter the moves of the opposition. It was a pity India’s match against the
Kiwis was rained off. The question that is now being asked is if this Indian
team can go all the way and win the World Cup. Will 2019 mark the year of the
third win at the World Cup?

If there is something that marks the country, it is its love for
cricket and Bollywood. And yes, the average Indian’s love for talking about the
game. It is not unusual to spend hours discussing the square drive of Virat
Kohli or the loss of concentration that marks Rishab Pant’s game and whether it
would be an obstruction to him fulfilling his undoubted potential. With regard
to India’s prospects in the ongoing World Cup, there has been much discussion.
From young boys in school to seasoned corporate executives, they are all
talking. Surender Visvanathan, CFO, says, “One-day cricket is the bridge
between the old-world gentlemen’s game and today’s vibrant in-your-face
version. India well begun and half done. We need to keep up intensity and
focus.”

Blaise Costabir, businessman and sports fan, has been watching
the tournament whenever his hectic schedule allows him. He feels that the team
is playing quite well and has every chance of picking the cup. He however
expresses his worry at the tendency of the team to have off days. That, he
feels, is the only worry visible on the horizon.

Tirthprasad Nagvekar feels the team had every chance of winning
the World Cup. He says, “You have to understand all the top teams are
competitive and the team that holds its nerve when the going gets tough will
win. Winning is not just by one’s own efforts but is also by scoring over the
opposition’s mistakes.” When asked specifically if India could win the World
Cup, he laughs loudly and says, “Well, at least we have the solace of beating
Pakistan in the tournament and that is what matters for a lot of people in the
country.”

He may be a civil engineer but he has certainly spent time
thinking about the ways one could improve the fortunes of the Indian cricket
team. Bharat Kamat feels the team certainly had a very good chance of winning
the World Cup. He however believes that injuries to two key members of the team
– Bhumi and Dhawan – could be a blow and the replacements would need time to
acclimatise. Bharat feels England and NZ are the 2 top contenders. The two
teams, he says, are playing very good cricket and are peaking at the right
time. He adds, “Remember NZ beat India in the warm up and they are in full
strength. India has a tough task ahead and we can do it but the top three have
to fire. Bumrah’s performance has been encouraging and he will get better as
the tournament progresses and Yuvi and Kuldeep have proved their weight in
gold, so yes I am confident.”