Blue India Have More Match Winners: Kirmani

"All the players from top to bottom are match-winners. Anyone from the group is capable of winning the match for the country. Starting from captain (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni to iconic batsman (Sachin) Tendulkar to devastating (Virender) Sehwag to (Gautam) Gambhir, Yuvraj (Singh), Suresh Raina or Yusuf Pathan ... it could be just anyone.

"We have an extremely well-balanced team and the best part is everyone seems to be in form," Kirmani said.second hand cars in chennai

Asked if a second wicket-keeper could have been a good option in case of an injury to regular Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former stumper said it was not at all a worrying factor.

"We are playing in the sub-continent and in our own environment so it would not be too difficult to bring in a replacement wicket-keeper immediately in case of a casualty. So, probably taking this fact into consideration, the selection committee did not go in for a second wicket-keeper," he said.

Stating that the current Indian squad is one of the favourites to lift the Cup, the 61-year-old said he has been hoping and praying for the last 28 years for the country to bring back the glory.

"We have a very good chance this time as our side is a very competent one.electric bicycles in India They are equally competent, if not more, than some of the other teams. We have been hoping and praying for the last 28 years for India to lift the Cup again and it seems that this team has it in them to fulfil the wish," said the former India Test cricketer.

Kirmani admitted that the four-time World champions Australia will be a weaker side compared to India, South Africa and England in the upcoming mega-event but cautioned that the Kangaroos can never be taken for granted.

"You never know, Australia can come back any time. You can never count them out. Obviously, the experienced players, who won the Cup thrice for the country are not there anymore but Aussies are in a process of re-establishing themselves.

"The youngsters will certainly take some time to reach that level. So, as a team they definitely look a little weaker at the moment as compared to some of the stronger sides like India, South Africa, England," he opined.

"But again if you look at the ongoing ODI series between England and Australia, the latter are doing well and the English, who thought it would be a cake-walk for them after their 3-1 Ashes victory, are finding it tough," added Kirmani.

Kirmani, who played 88 Tests, predicted that India, South Africa, England and Sri Lanka would make it to the semifinals of the mega-event, starting February 19 in Dhaka but warned that there could be a few surprises as well.

"The New Zealanders, Pakistanis and Australians could never be underestimated. Just like Australia, Pakistan also have some talented young players who can spring up surprises," Kirmani said.kerala used cars

Asked to compare the current Indian side with that of the 1983 World Cup winning team, he said, "Unlike ours, which was a weaker unit and were given a tag of the underdogs, this team is very strong."

"We never thought we would lift the Cup. We were the most inexperienced team in the competition. We just aimed at qualifying for the knockout stage. That was the only thing on our minds. In fact, no body even expected us to reach the knock-out round also," recollected Kirmani, who was awarded the best wicket-keeper in the 1983 World Cup.

"But we gained confidence when we won our opening match against then reigning world champions West Indies by 34 runs. After that game, we thought if we could beat the Windies in the very first encounter, why should we look back?"

Attributing Indian team's success in the 83' World Cup to their positive approach, consistency and complacency of other teams, he said, "Whosoever we played they thought that we were a very weak side and took us lightly. But they were under a wrong impression. They failed to realise that on a particular day we were the better players."

Looking back at his own most memorable contribution to the team's success in the 83' World Cup, Kirmani said the match where captain Kapil Dev scored unbeaten 175 against Zimbabwe to turn the tide in India's favour, had him as a silent contributer at the other end.

"One of our most important matches of the tournament was against Zimbabwe when India found itself reeling at 17 for five with Kapil Dev trying to pull us out of trouble single-handedly. At 140 for eight, I joined Kapil who was playing at some 50 plus score with another 30-35 overs more to go in a 60-over match.

"I walked in very boldly, as usual, without losing my concentration and before I took the stance I just went to Kapil and told him 'don't worry, you just play your natural game and I will be at my best at the other end, giving you the maximum support and maximum strike. I will just take a single and leave the deliveries for you to face'," narrated Kirmani.

"From there on it was one of the most fabulous knocks of Kapil that I have seen - perhaps the most devastating one - and I gave him the strength and we remained not out till 60 overs. He scored 175 and I scored somewhere between 23 to 30."

Pepsico Book Dhoni

the company paved the way for a dramatic play-off with India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who is heading rival Pepsico India’s brand endorsement projects.

Coke, it is understood, is paying Tendulkar Rs 20 crore for a three-year deal. That’s more than what Dhoni is getting from Pepsico and is quite a turnaround for the little master who had earlier seen the number of endorsements dipping over the last few years. “This is set to see a correction now with Tendulkar playing almost at his best,” says Santosh Desai, Future Brands CEO.

The brand Sachin versus Dhoni battle also took a new turn when reports came in that the former had turned down an offer to endorse a leading liquor brand which would have been the highest-paid deal for an Indian sportsman. And these happened just days after Dhoni signed a Rs 26 crore endorsement contract with Vijay Mallya’s UB Group, making him the highest paid sportsperson for a single endorsement deal in the country.

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Brand experts, however, say the so-called brand battle between the two are just sideshows in a year when big ticket sporting properties such as the ICC World Cup 2011 and the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League are going to jack up the endorsement fees for both.

Indranil Blah, vice president, Kwan Entertainment which is into sports management, says, “While the number of brands that Tendulkar and Dhoni endorse is not expected to increase sharply as compared to last year, their rates may go up by 40-50 per cent.” According to industry estimates, both Tendulkar and Dhoni get paid as much as Rs 5 crore per endorsement, which is set to rise to over Rs 7 crore this year.

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Tendulkar is endorsing 15 brands at present. He is the face of Castrol products in the country and promotes brands such as Castrol Power1, Activ and GTX. He also endorses appliances major Toshiba, ITC’s Sunfeast, Boost, Canon, Royal Bank of Scotland, Reynolds, Jaypee Cements, Aviva Life Insurance, Adidas, luxury Swiss watch Audemars Piguet and Pune-based Amit Housing Enterprises among others.

Industry sources estimate the size of sports endorsement market to be valued at around Rs 200 crore, which can grow by 20 per cent due to the cricket packed season. Dhoni, for instance, renegotiated his existing deal with Maxx Mobiles for seven years for Rs 29 crore which was initially valued at Rs 10 crore.

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Dhoni’s associations are managed by Rhiti Sports Management (RSM). Arun Pandey, president RSM, said, “Dhoni at present endorses 24 brands. There is a lot of interest from companies to have in on board.” Dhoni is also the brand ambassador for Fashion Bazaar, Sonata, Amrapali Housing amongst others.

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Dhoni Take Piyush in Wordcup Squad

Chawla has been a surprise inclusion in the squad, announced on Monday by the Kris Srikkanth-led selection committee in Chennai.

"It is good to have Piyush in the side as he provides that variety to the attack. He is one guy who can bat a bit. He has scored decent runs in Ranji and also while playing in County circuit. If we plan to play with five bowlers, then he can be a handy number seven or eight batsman," Dhoni said on the eve of India's third ODI against South Africa.

Chawla has been picked despite not playing a one-dayer since July 2008, and Dhoni was aware of that.

"I would always say that playing in first class match or IPL match and playing in the international match is different. Piyush needs that international match practice," the India skipper said.