Sachin Tendulkar might have to cope with a new role in batting and the extra responsibility
of being the vice-captain, but India's premier batsman said that he felt no pressure
and was keen to contribute with both bat and ball at the World Cup. 
"I am looking forward to having a good World Cup. I am
hoping that both my batting and bowling will come good. I am not under any pressure.
I feel quite confident," Tendulkar said at the Indian team's first press
conference after arriving in the Caribbean for the mega event.
Tendulkar is the all-time leading run-getter in one-day cricket with 14,783
runs and, having played in 381 one-dayers since his debut in 1989, will be the
most experienced cricketer at the 16-team event that begins on March 13.
Despite the iconic status of Tendulkar, coach Greg Chappell
said the team would rely less on a player's star value than the basics to win
the quadrennial event.
"We will not be relying on any special players because the team is fairly
well balanced," the 58-year-old former Australian captain said.
Captain Rahul Dravid said he was confident of a strong
show by his team in the 51-match tournament which will have its final on April
28.
"I know that all the other teams will be aiming to play their best cricket
but we are very confident that this is going to be a very good tournament for
us," he said.
The opening ceremony of the event is slated for March 11.
India, placed in Group 'B', are scheduled to play their opening match on March
17 against Bangladesh at Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Sri Lanka and Bermuda are the two teams in the Group.
They begin their campaign with two warm-up matches, on March 6 against the Netherlands
and on March 9 against the West Indies.
India's World Cup win came in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. In the
last edition in 2003, they reached the final before losing to Australia.
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