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MUMBAI: With the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup kicking off last
night, Indian fans appear to have every confidence that the
Indian team will win the event.
An online study on the upcoming 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup
in the West Indies was conducted with Nielsen India's online
research panel Your Voice
Hope springs eternal in this cricket crazy nation! Just over
half (53 per cent) of Indian respondents think India will
win the 2007 World Cup Cricket, while less than a quarter
think that the two time defending champions Australia will
win, and only 13 per cent think that the number one ranked
side South Africa will win the Cup.
Indians also nominate Ricky Ponting from Australia as the
best Captain for the World Cup, among all teams. Nielsen director
online research N S Muthukumaran says, "India Cricket
has always been very close to the heart of the Indians-its
like a religion and the level of enthusiasm amongst the Indian
fans is certain to grow in the lead up to the World Cup.
"The team's recent performance against the West Indies
has also bolstered fans' confidence in their team which is
reflected in the results of our study."
Sachin Tendulkar is expected to be the highest scorer and
the Man of the tournament while M. S. Dhoni with his strong
arm and affinity to hit sixes, is predicted to emerge as the
highest six hitter of the Game. According to Indian fans,
terrific fielders Adam Gilchrist and Ponting are expected
to make it for the greatest number of catches title.
Most people surveyed are satisfied with the team selection,
with 93 per cent of the opinion that Saurav Ganguly would be
a good addition to the team. The majority of respondents also
endorse the choice of Rahul Dravid as captain (80 per cent),
and Greg Chappell as coach (68 per cent) for India. For most,
the ideal 11 would include Tendulkar, Ganguly, Sehwag, Dravid,
Dhoni, Singh, Kumble, Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and
Ajit Agarkar.
"This team line-up resonates very positively in the
hearts of ardent fans. People still consider experience to
be key and would like to see the magic of the previous opening
pair of Ganguly and Tendulkar re-lived in this World Cup.
Sehwag and Robin Uthappa are also considered good openers
by many," adds Muthukumaran.
Watching the matches live this time round will be a challenge
for many Indian fans because of the time difference between
the Caribbean and India, with interest in matches likely driven
by the level of the match in the series. 29 per cent of respondents
will be glued to their TV sets for all matches including warm-up
games, while one third plan to watch all the main matches
and 15 percent will watch from the 'Super 8' match onwards
only.
And while cricket fever is running high, not many plan to
visit the West Indies to watch the World Cup live. Instead,
81 per cent will watch the matches from the comfort of their
homes and will rely on the Television for latest updates on
the games (73 per cent) followed by the Internet (63 per cent)
and newspapers (48 per cent).
The prediction game: Predicting the outcome of the
World Cup is an interesting game in itself, and has already
become the talk of the town in India. As the Nielsen survey
shows, India, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand are
predicted to reach the semi-finals, with 91 percent of those
surveyed believing India will make it into the final, to play
Australian for the championship.
"With the World Cup Cricket a major sporting event in
India this year, companies will be looking to capitalize on
opportunities for additional businesses. Our survey brings
some good news for the manufacturers and retailers of snacks,
with 62 per cent of respondents claiming they like to watching
cricket with the accompaniment of some crisps, with more than
a third opting for carbonated soft drinks and 30 per cent
reaching for the popcorn," said Muthukumaran
The survey was conducted using Nielsen India's online research
panel Your Voice to understand Indians' views and predictions
on the upcoming 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies.
The total number of people survey was 209 (80 per cent men,
20 per cent women). The mean age group of the respondents
was 30. The sample was distributed across regional and linguistic
groups.
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