India have good chance of winning World Cup: Gambhir

CHENNAI - Gautam Gambhir believes India have a good chance to win the ICC World Cup to be held in the sub-continent from Feb 19 — given the favourable conditions and the crowd support.

Gambhir, 29, said that besides the home advantage, the Indian team\’s performance in the recent Test and ODI series in South Africa was a factor that weighed in their favour.

\”We have done a good job in South Africa by drawing the Test series (1-1) and narrowly losing the ODI series 3-2. If we continue our form, we should have a good chance (of winning the World Cup),\” he said on the sidelines of the launch of MRF Formula Championship here Thursday.

Gambhir, who is a brand ambassador for MRF, said he was recovering well from the elbow injury he suffered in the third and concluding Test against South Africa and looked forward to playing in his first World Cup.

\”I am recovering well from the injury. I was advised some rest and I am quite excited to play in my first World Cup,\” he said.

However, he cautioned that though the performances in South Africa were praise-worthy, the World Cup would be different altogether.

\”The World Cup is a different ball game, but we can take the positives from our performances in South Africa,\” he said.

Gambhir, the highest paid cricketer in the recent Indian Premier League auctions when the Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for a record $ 2.4 million, neatly defended queries on top stars like Brian Lara and Sourav Ganguly remaining unsold.

\”It was the decision of the franchises. They selected players according to their plans and what kind of combinations they wanted,\” he responded.