India have always been a strong batting unit, and the Champions Trophy squad has some experienced batsmen including MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. The duo, who were referred as pillars of the team by Virat Kohli during his presser in Mumbai, will play an integral part for India in the ICC event, but the top order will have to provide a solid foundation for the seniors to capitalise.
India are the defending champions, and if they want to win their third Champions Trophy title, the Men in Blue will need massive contribution from Kohli, Dhoni and Yuvraj.
The conditions in England are different from India. The players need to get out of their IPL mode as the pitches are not going to be flat like in India. The bowlers will get some purchase on the 22-yard-surfaces in England.
Hence, the start will be of utmost importance for India. India's top order including Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli will hold the key to India's success.
The openers should not go hammer and tongs if the conditions are conducive to seamers. Rohit and Shikhar should play the ball according to the merit. Mind you, both Indian openers are naturally aggressive, so run-scoring should not be a problem even if they are playing their normal game. The main point being – they should not throw the wickets away.
If India have wickets in hand in the second half of their innings, Dhoni and Yuvraj can bring in all their experience to power India to a massive total. The same formula can also be applied if India are chasing big totals provided they are in touching distance with the required run rate.
Dhoni and Yuvraj have been the central figures for Team India in the last few years, and the duo is good at reading games. The pair can handle big pressures that come with big tournaments.
Kohli can also depend on them to step in when the chips are down. When the top order fails, one can expect the two stalwarts to shoulder responsibility by adjusting their game to suit the situation. However, one cannot depend on these two to rescue India out of problems everytime.
Kohli, during the presser, while talking about Dhoni and Yuvraj stressed on 'freedom to play their own game'.
Yes, Dhoni and Yuvraj will have the freedom to play the kind of cricket they are known for, provided the top order flourish. If it does happen, India will be an unstoppable unit in the Champions Trophy.
Watch the complete press conference
