Tired India poised for world twenty20 title defence

LONDON (AFP) - Tired limbs, jaded minds and a tricky draw have toughened India's path as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men defend their World Twenty20 title in England next month.
The June 5-21 tournament is the latest event for Team India in a non-stop roadshow that began with a full tour of New Zealand in February-April before a five-week sojourn in South Africa for the Indian Premier League.
Dhoni's team returned home for just three days after the IPL before setting off again for England to defend the title they won in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007.
Coach Gary Kirsten admitted the heavy workload was a cause for worry, but the former South African opener was confident his wards will rise to the challenge in England.
"The Indian players have been on the road for a long time and the biggest challenge will be mental fatigue," Kirsten said recently.
"But they have enormous pride when representing India and have become a tight unit over the past few months. I am sure they will look forward to reuniting and playing for their country."
The gruelling schedule has already seen aggressive opener Virender Sehwag miss some IPL matches due to a finger injury, while pace spearhead Zaheer Khan is recovering from a sore shoulder.Skipper Dhoni has been nursing a back strain as a result of being one of the world's busiest cricketers, who keeps wicket, bats and leads his team in all forms of the game."I am not worried at all," said Dhoni. "One gets used to the modern day schedule and I am sure we will all be raring to go once the tournament starts."The road to the semi-finals is no joy ride for the defending champions even though they are drawn with lowly Bangladesh and Ireland in the preliminary round.