No home advantage at 2016 ICC World T20 given international participation in IPL: Kohli

Four years ago, MS Dhoni hit that magical six - which will be further etched in minds of each and every Indian - to lift the coveted World Cup in front of the home crowd. Five years later, a world championship will be hosted on the Indian soil again as India will host the World T20, starting March 2016, for the first time. With the tournament taking place in India, many feel that the hosts will go in as favourites and try to repeat the heroics of 2011 World Cup in front of the home crowd but India Test captain Virat Kohli feels that India won’t have such a big home advantage any more. “So many players from around the world have played the IPL for 8-9 years now so they are familiar with the Indian conditions,” Kohli said at the launch of 2016 ICC World T20. When India last hosted an ICC event in 2011, they started the tournament as clear favourites. And they delivered too. But the IPL was three years old back then - with the second edition taking place in South Africa. With eight seasons complete, and with more and more cricketers from around the world making a name for themselves in India, conditions are not fully in India’s favour anymore. [caption id=“attachment_2542538” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Virat Kohli with teammates Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan at ICC World Twenty20 launch in Mumbai. AFP[/caption] “We saw them (foreign players) executing their skills very well in the shorter format when we played South Africa just now. They know where to bowl and what shots to hit in Indian conditions. It’s not such a big home advantage anymore, especially in a format like T20 where the cricket is so quick. Any team could be favourites,” Kohli added. Ajinkya Rahane was a bit more positive about doing well in their own backyard but he did concede that the IPL factor will play an important role. “Deep down inside, we have a better chance. I am sure we will do well. Every team is equally dangerous because almost all the players are playing the IPL,” Rahane said at the launch of 2016 World T20. ICC CEO Dave Richardson did concede that India will start off as favourites because of home conditions but considering the trend so far, he said that this could be a very open tournament. Richardson said, “India are favourites in home conditions. But looking at the last few editions, West Indies won in Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka in Bangladesh, so it’s a very open tournament.” India suffered heartbreak in the previous edition when they failed at the final hurdle, losing to Sri Lanka in the final at the Sher-E-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur. Kohli said that the defeat in the final hurt the team. “Obviously we would like to cross the finish line this time. Last time, I was personally very sad that we couldn’t win the finals. Last year, we were very motivated to win the cup. We had a great run throughout and unfortunately we couldn’t cross the line. But again we felt delighted for Sri Lanka, as they had two legends of the game who hadn’t won the World Cup themselves. So we felt good for them also, but as a team we felt sad as we couldn’t cross the line although we played some very good cricket,” Kohli said. Kohli said that keeping things simple will be the key to success in this edition. “What we did in that (2014) World T20 was keep things simple and in a country like India, where conditions are known to everyone now, keeping things simple will be very important. So any team can be dangerous if they don’t try too much out there in the middle,” Kohli added. Shikhar Dhawan, on the other hand, felt picking the moment will hold the key. “I feel the team that will gain the momentum at the right time will be dangerous. In T20 especially, momentum is a very big thing. I feel whoever gets set will create a buzz,” Dhawan said during a panel discussion at the World T20 event. The effect of IPL was visible in the recently-concluded South African tour of India, where the tourists had an upper hand over India in the limited overs segment. The Proteas won the three-match T20I series 2-0 with one match washed out and the ODI series 3-2. Time and again, South Africa T20 captain Faf Du Plessis has credited IPL for South Africa’s success in subcontinent. After the T20I series win against India, David Miller - who plays for IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab - said, “It (IPL) makes a massive difference. We have come out on top against India. I think the IPL has helped not only the foreign players but the younger guys from India as well." India will open their World T20 campaign against New Zealand on 15 March in Nagpur before taking on Pakistan in Dharamsala on 19 March. Their other matches will be against the qualifying Group A winners in Bengaluru on 23 March and Australia in Mohali on 27 March. Since its inception in 2007, no home team has won the World T20 in the five editions so far, and India will be aiming to buck the trend this time around.