<p>It’s raining cricket for cricket-lovers. Just as the battle is getting hotter with the Indian Premier League jutting towards the grand finale, cricket fans have another tournament to look forward to — the T-20 World Cup, scheduled to begin in the end of April. However, the team that has been selected for the World Cup has received a mixed reaction from the masses. <br /><br />The selection of players like Rohit Sharma and Piyush Chawla, who are struggling to find form, over strong players like Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey; has left many a question unanswered. Metrolife speaks to some hardcore cricket fans to get their reactions. <br /><br />Abhijith, an engineer at Cisco, feels it’s been a tough call for the selectors. “They have chosen experienced players over those who are currently in good form. That’s how one can explain Yuvraj Singh, who is a bit out of form, being chosen over Robin Uthappa, who has done so well in the IPL,” he says. However, Abhijith is quite happy with the overall selection. “The batting line-up is really good and players like Yuvraj and Yusuf Pathan will do great.” <br /><br />Trishant, a final year BCom student of Christ University, is disappointed on Manish Pandey not making it to the team. “He has been doing so well, and has been a consistent opener. Otherwise, the team looks pretty decent,” he notes. “I feel the selectors should have pushed for Sachin Tendulkar as he is doing better than most of the younger players.” But Trishant feels India will win the cup. “Given the stars and the graces, I am expecting nothing less than the cup,” he laughs. <br /><br />Ram Murthy is a cricketer who has played for many State-level teams like President’s XI Team and Shimoga Zone. He isn’t disappointed with Manish Pandey’s non inclusion. “Manish is an opener and we already have good openers like Gautam Gambhir and Virendra Sehwag. But Robin Uthappa and Amit Mishra’s inclusion would have made the team stronger as compared to Rohit Sharma and Piyush Chawla’s inclusion,” he says. “And how can one forget Robin’s contribution in the 2007 T-20 World Cup, where he scored runs when Team India most needed them,” he asks. <br /><br />Sachin Bharadwaj, the director of Sacona Entertainment, is a huge cricket buff. “Rohit Sharma is not really in form. They could have chosen Robin Uthappa and Murli Vijay instead. They should have just waited till the end of the IPL,” he laments. However, Sachin believes India has a great chance of winning. “We have a great captain in M S Dhoni. Plus, thanks to the IPL, the players would have had good training session and seen the strategies of their competitors.” However, he feels Sachin Tendulkar should have been in the team. “Though he deserves rest and is probably preparing for the 2011 World Cup, he is doing great in all formats. And I am not saying this just because we have the same name,” he laughs as he signs off. <br />Deepa Natarajan</p>
<p>It’s raining cricket for cricket-lovers. Just as the battle is getting hotter with the Indian Premier League jutting towards the grand finale, cricket fans have another tournament to look forward to — the T-20 World Cup, scheduled to begin in the end of April. However, the team that has been selected for the World Cup has received a mixed reaction from the masses. <br /><br />The selection of players like Rohit Sharma and Piyush Chawla, who are struggling to find form, over strong players like Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey; has left many a question unanswered. Metrolife speaks to some hardcore cricket fans to get their reactions. <br /><br />Abhijith, an engineer at Cisco, feels it’s been a tough call for the selectors. “They have chosen experienced players over those who are currently in good form. That’s how one can explain Yuvraj Singh, who is a bit out of form, being chosen over Robin Uthappa, who has done so well in the IPL,” he says. However, Abhijith is quite happy with the overall selection. “The batting line-up is really good and players like Yuvraj and Yusuf Pathan will do great.” <br /><br />Trishant, a final year BCom student of Christ University, is disappointed on Manish Pandey not making it to the team. “He has been doing so well, and has been a consistent opener. Otherwise, the team looks pretty decent,” he notes. “I feel the selectors should have pushed for Sachin Tendulkar as he is doing better than most of the younger players.” But Trishant feels India will win the cup. “Given the stars and the graces, I am expecting nothing less than the cup,” he laughs. <br /><br />Ram Murthy is a cricketer who has played for many State-level teams like President’s XI Team and Shimoga Zone. He isn’t disappointed with Manish Pandey’s non inclusion. “Manish is an opener and we already have good openers like Gautam Gambhir and Virendra Sehwag. But Robin Uthappa and Amit Mishra’s inclusion would have made the team stronger as compared to Rohit Sharma and Piyush Chawla’s inclusion,” he says. “And how can one forget Robin’s contribution in the 2007 T-20 World Cup, where he scored runs when Team India most needed them,” he asks. <br /><br />Sachin Bharadwaj, the director of Sacona Entertainment, is a huge cricket buff. “Rohit Sharma is not really in form. They could have chosen Robin Uthappa and Murli Vijay instead. They should have just waited till the end of the IPL,” he laments. However, Sachin believes India has a great chance of winning. “We have a great captain in M S Dhoni. Plus, thanks to the IPL, the players would have had good training session and seen the strategies of their competitors.” However, he feels Sachin Tendulkar should have been in the team. “Though he deserves rest and is probably preparing for the 2011 World Cup, he is doing great in all formats. And I am not saying this just because we have the same name,” he laughs as he signs off. <br />Deepa Natarajan</p>
