Skipper MS Dhoni has praised his team for seizing the opportunity to win the World Cup. The team has pretty much touched its best and the key now would be to maintain the high standards set by the group, he says in an interview to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Has the burden of 1983 been lifted?
It wasn’t a burden. The duration between 1983 and 2011 was very large and added to the pressure. People want us to win every time we step on the field. So it's not a burden. People know we're a very talented side, so they expect us to win. It was an opportunity.
We knew the home conditions very well. We were struggling a bit with the bowling at the start, but overall the bowlers did very well because we also defended modest totals at the same time.
You said the World Cup win was expected and the burden is going to increase because people will want you to win every game from now on
In India, expectations from our team goes higher and higher. Not once in the 5-6 years I have played have I seen expectations come down a bit.
The 1983 victory did a lot of things to cricket in India. Do you think this victory will spark a similar revolution?
It’s a tough one because there is a high you can achieve, and you can't go any further. Now it's all about maintaining that high.
The 1983 victory did a lot of things to cricket in India. Do you think this victory will spark a similar revolution?
It’s a tough one because there is a high you can achieve, and you can't go any further. Now it's all about maintaining that high.
And considering the hype in Indian cricket, besides the cricketing skills, I don't think it can go up any further.
There have been a lot of great players since 1983. Do you believe they played a part in developing your game?
Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Md Azharuddin, Md Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, everyone's contribution is important.
It does not matter whether they won the Cup or not. All of them helped us develop our game.
What about all this money being awarded to you. You must be the richest man in India.
This is one thing that happens in India. It happened when we won the T20 World Cup, and its happening now also. But all this is secondary. Our motive is to do well on the field and the rest of the things just follow!