AUCKLAND : Having reached the quarter-finals with one commanding performance after another, defending champions India will be aiming to finish their group league engagements with a flourish when they take on Zimbabwe in an ICC Cricket World Cup match, here tomorrow.
India are currently on a roll in the tournament as they have practically crushed most of their oppositions save the West Indies, which at the most gave them a scare during the group league game at the WACA in Perth.
The match against Zimbabwe is an inconsequential affair in terms of statistics but a chance to complete an all-win record is something that the ‘Men in Blue’ would like to take with them before the business end of the global event starts.
Momentum is key in any tournament and there can’t be better practice than match-practice when they get down at Eden Park against a Zimbabwean side that is second last in the table with a solitary win in five games.
It has been a terrific turnaround for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his boys as no one gave the team an outside chance of title defence after their indifferent show in the Test series against Australia followed by a poor performance in the ODI tri-series.
But in the past four weeks, the tables have turned for Dhoni and co. As they produced one superlative performance after another. So much so that all the experts are now considering India as one of the title contenders in the tournament.
Such has been India’s domination in the tournament that Dhoni’s boys have eclipsed the India record by winning nine straight games in the World Cup, including four matches in the previous edition.
So one can’t think of a more convenient opposition to make it a ‘Perfect 10’, which will be an excellent boost before the quarter-final starts.
For India, the going has been perfect in the tournament as it is difficult to find loopholes in their effort throughout the past one month.
The batting has been rock solid with all the top seven getting some runs under their belt but the story of the tournament so far has been their bowling.
Considering that pitches prepared in Australia and New Zealand for this edition has been primarily batting tracks with good bounce, the Indian bowling unit has got all 50 opposition wickets in five matches. (AGENCIES)
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