India look to put cricket ahead of distractions
During times such as what Indian cricket is going through, actual cricket becomes insignificant, but it can also be the healer for the players
Overview
India hardly ever play big events without huge pressure of expectation on them. This Champions Trophy was to be different. The selectors had picked a young team, mostly based on performance and not past or promise. Surely this inexperienced team - picked with World Cup 2015 in mind - would go with less expectation, and thus less pressure? Surely, for once, India wouldn't be the focus of everything? We had another think coming. India will once again be the center of attention, this time unwanted and unfortunate. Wherever they go they will be asked questions, and they will have to show up for press conferences because this is an ICC event.Key player
If ever there was a time for a captain to make a statement on the field, this might be it for MS Dhoni. Off the field he has already shown helplessness when asked to speak about the controversies. The man under most pressure to quit his job, N Srinivasan, is also the man who saved Dhoni's captaincy last year, and also the managing director of the company Dhoni is a vice-president of, which is also the company that owns the IPL team that Dhoni captains.Surprise package
Shikhar Dhawan surprised the daylights out of not only Australia but observers in India on Test debut when he waltzed his way to 187. He has had an injury since then, recovered, made a decent comeback in the IPL, and will be crucial to India's plans. He is also one of the three left-hand batsmen in the squad.Weakness
As always, the bowling. India's most exciting bowling prospect on this tour, Umesh Yadav, is a man with 51 international wickets, who is coming back from a stress reaction of the back. That says all you need to know about India's biggest weakness in international cricket.Champions Trophy history
India's Champions Trophy high came in 2002 in Sri Lanka, when they shared the trophy with the hosts after both attempts at having a completed final were washed out. India also made it to the final in 2000 in Kenya, but lost to New Zealand. There hasn't been much to declare otherwise.Recent form
India's involvement in ODI cricket - keeping in with the trends worldwide - has gone down immensely. Since they finished third in the tri-series in Australia early last year, they have been involved in only four ODI events. The Asia Cup was a disaster, they then won against their bilateral punching bag Sri Lanka before losing to Pakistan and winning against England at home. Their three shoo-in openers are now not even part of the squad, the bowling has looked weak as ever, and they have entered the rebuilding phase, which they should have entered soon after the World Cup triumph in 2011.Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo