"I was in England then (as the then selection panel chief watching the Indian team in action) and interacted with Sachin, Rahul and Sourav who felt Dhoni had the right attitude to become the India captain," Vengsarkar said.

"We (selectors) too felt so, though there was initial apprehension about how he would assume full charge", Vengsarkar is quoted saying.

But it was under Dhoni’s able captaincy that India went on to win the World Cup, creating history with a thrilling win against Pakistan in South Africa. Vengsarkar believes that Dhoni has proved is worth at the World Cup once before, and he is capable of doing so again. After all he has been the most successful cricket captain that India has seen in the recent years.

The senior trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, all of whom have had their experiences as team captains, had faith in Dhoni’s abilities. In fact the three pulled out of the 2007 cup, leaving an Indian team of capable youngsters and powerful talent to make their way to the top. And didn’t they make the country proud!

Vengsarkar also asserts that he intuitively knew that Team India was going to win that historic cup after the first match itself. Ironically it was the league opener against Pakistan itself that ended in a draw, and it was through a bowl-out that India snatched the game: "We had beaten Pakistan in our first match in 1985 in the Benson and Hedges (World Championship in Australia) and went on to win the championship", Vengsarkar recollected. Vengsarkar hopes that the team will be able to recreate that magic this year.

Meanwhile, however, Coach Gary Kirsten feels that fatigue is going to be India’s biggest hurdle. "The Indian players have been on the road for a long time and the biggest challenge will be mental fatigue," Kirsten is quoted telling Cricinfo. "But they have enormous pride when representing India and have become a tight unit over the past few months. I'm sure they will look forward to reuniting and playing for their country."

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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