Five Players to Watch Out for in the World Cup

Sachin Tendulkar: How many times we have written and spoken about the greatness of the man, but still we are compelled by the magic of this great batsman who has most batting record to his credit. The coming World Cup could be his last and he would definitely like to have one more feather in his cap by winning the coveted title. If India is termed as favorite to win the cup; it is because of Sachin Tendulkar.

Ricky Ponting: One of the greatest batsmen produced by the world champion team and the only player who can challenge Sachin. Of late he has gone through a tough and rough batting form and has seen his team lose the Ashes once again. He is the man who can do it for Australia, once again.

Jacques Kallis: "The Sobers" of the modern game and by far the best all-rounder today. Among all the greats, he is the most underrated. He can bat at any position and can win the game for his team from any position. He can play the anchor's role and hold the innings for South Africa and with bowl in his hand, he can make life tough for the best in business.

Kevin Peterson: One of the best strikers in the game today and can destroy even the best bowling attack on his day. He has the natural ability to score more than run a ball, if in full flow. Lately, he has been struggling to find form, like Ponting, but as they say, it takes only one inning to come back in form.

Shahid Afridi: As unpredictable as Pakistan. Nobody knows what is going to happen when he is on the crease, not even the most famous astrologers can predict and analyse what goes in his head. Certainly, the most dangerous striker in the game today. He can change the game on its head, even if he spends half an hour on the wicket. If Pakistan stands any chance of doing well in the cup, then Afridi has to be in form.

Who will win the World Cup?

It is a million dollar question! If we analyse recent performances of the top five teams and gauge their chances of winning the Cup, one has to term India and South Africa as the favorites. But, Can they live up to the expectations? India hold home advantage over South Africa; it has the right balance of veterans and youth. For India, batting is their strength; the worrying factor is their bowling, excluding Harbhajan and Zaheer. They don't have the bowlers to defend huge totals, forget defending small scores. On the other side, we have a team who has always done exceedingly well in previous world cup matches, but has failed in the crunch matches and deservedly got the 'Chokers" tag behind them.

Most of the cricket pundits have ignored the two most dangerous and talented teams in the world; it is none other than the cornered tigers Pakistan and the onetime invincible Australia. Both teams have the talent and potential to outshine and overshadow the best of teams on their day. If Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer are cleared by ICC, then they stand a very good chance of surprising the cricket world, like they always do. Their opening bowling attack is arguably the best in the world, even better than Steyn and Morkel. Australia would give everything to make a strong comeback, particularly after the defeat from the hands of the old enemy. Ricky Ponting might have been out of form, but it takes only one inning for legends to comeback; one must watch out for him and who knows he might turnout to be the player of the tournament. At the same time, one must accept the fact that they have to play out of their skin to beat teams like India and Sri Lanka.

Talking about other teams, Sri Lanka have always been the 'Silent Killer'. They are certainly one of the teams who stand a strong chance to at least make to the Semis. They have slow bowlers who are ideal for sub-continent pitches and can make life tough for the best. It is really sad that the coming World Cup will be without legends like Gilchrist and Inzamaam and the worst will be if Asif and Aamer are convicted of Spot Fixing.

I have a strong feeling that  this world cup is going to be India's as they would be playing most important matches on their home territory and have the support of the huge crowd to lift their spirit and perform out of their skin.