India enter the ICC World Twenty20 tournament hoping the benefits of playing regularly in the Indian Premier League can help them retain their crown as the best Twenty20 side in the world.
India enter the ICC World Twenty20 tournament hoping the benefits of playing regularly in the Indian Premier League can help them retain their crown as the best Twenty20 side in the world. The holders, who beat Pakistan to win the inaugural event in South Africa two years ago, arrive in England as most people's favourites to secure a second successive triumph.
But it is their vast experience of high-level Twenty20 cricket which may tip the odds in their favour with every IPL team forced to play at least seven Indian players - guaranteeing them greater experience of the format. "It will help us, but not only us because there were quite a few players from other countries playing in it," said captain Dhoni. "We should get more help from it because more of our players were playing in the IPL. The best thing it has done for us is that it has taught the youngsters how to handle pressure.
"In international cricket it's all about how you handle that pressure and how you react to a situation.
"You might need 10 off the last over and how you react to that is important and everyone has been in that situation by playing in the IPL. It is ideal for the youngsters to gain that experience and it's great exposure for guys who are not playing regular international cricket. They get to face really fast bowling like Brett Lee or experienced spinners like Warne or Muralitharan, so it's a very good exposure for them."u00a0
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