ICC World Cup 2011: Virender Sehwag says he is fit and ready
India’s destructive opening batsman Virender Sehwag has claimed that he has recovered from his shoulder injury and is ready for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2011 that gets underway on 19 February.
Sehwag missed the entire One-day series in South Africa due to a shoulder pain. Team India’s management wanted to rest Sehwag so that he could recover from his injury and get ready for Cricket’s flagship event.
Sehwag said, “I was feeling some pain in my shoulder. So I thought it was better to quit the South Africa one-dayers. I didn't want to get injured in South Africa tour and miss the World Cup. So I came back and went to Germany to see a couple of doctors. I got a couple of injections and now I'm fine.”
He is one of the most destructive batsmen in the world as he can take the opposition attack to the cleaners with utmost ease. The most important thing about his batting is the strike-rate at which he racks up his runs. His 7,380 One-day runs have come at a strike-rate of 103, averaging 34.
Furthermore, he has done reasonably well in the World Cups, amassing 463 runs at an average of 33. As the tournament is going to be played in the Subcontinent, Sehwag will have an extra advantage of the home conditions.
He said, “I am going to the National Cricket Academy and will spend a couple of days there, to check everything - if I can bowl and throw also but if I can't, then I'll let them know. But yes, at the moment I'm fully fit.”
India’s opening game against Bangladesh will be the curtain raiser of the ICC World Cup 2011. Sehwag has warned his team against complacency and is well aware of the fact that Bangladesh defeated them in the last World Cup. He said that it will be a revenge game for India and they will not take it lightly.
India’s vice-captain feels that they are one of the favourites to win Cricket’s most coveted trophy. He stated that his team has an upper hand against the stronger teams such as South Africa and England.
Cricket has changed, cricket fans have changed and the way they watch cricket has changed… This ICC Cricket World Cup, Pepsi celebrates the new unorthodox yet immensely popular face of modern cricket with its high decibel and path-breaking campaign – ‘CHANGE THE GAME’. Through the metaphor of cricket it also salutes the Youngistaanis who within themselves have found the power to defy tradition, and pave their own way by not breaking the rules but by changing them.
Change the Game is not a notion but reality that is reflected in the way cricket is played, watched and enjoyed world-over and in India today. With this innovative campaign, Pepsi has become the official sponsor of everything that is unorthodox about the sport; whether it is Virender Sehwag’s Upper Cut, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Helicopter shot, Harbhajan Singh’s Doosra, Tillakaratne Dilshan’s Dilscoop, Kevin Pietersen’s Switch Hit or Virat KohliandSuresh Raina’saggressive on-field spirit.
Deepika Warrier, Marketing Director, PepsiCo Beverages, India said,“Pepsi has always been closely associated with youth platforms such as cricket; and ICC Cricket World Cup is the single biggest event that unifies millions of passionate Youngistaanis. Our Change the Game campaign celebrates the same passion and the new age mantra of cricket, which is irreverent, unorthodox, fun, challenging and unmistakably Pepsi”.
“PepsiCo is one of the global sponsors of the ICC Cricket World Cup and we have created an exciting, engaging and innovative package for brand Pepsi to leverage this mega event. We are confident that the unique campaign thought of Change the Game will appeal to the youth and inspire them to be the game changers in their own lives”, Deepika added.
Featuring some of the cricketing world’s biggest superstars, the campaign includes a series of ad films that will showcase out-of-the-box moves that are not text-book and yet help achieve the ultimate goal. Irreverent and youthful in spirit, these films promise to bring alive the passion Youngistaanis share for the game, both on and off the field. The first film as part of the campaign revolves around Indian team skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s famous game changing move – the Helicopter Shot.
The TVC is conceptualized by Taproot India’s Agnello Dias and Santosh Padhi. Pepsi had recently appointed Taproot India to design its Cricket World Cup 2011 campaign. The TVC opens with a villager training Mahendra Singh Dhoni about his famous helicopter shot which ultimately changes the game of cricket. The campaign brilliantly and aptly synchronizes Dhoni’s style of playing with the process of cutting fodder in the villages.
“Pepsi has always been the fearless voice of uninhibited youth. A belief that needed to be interpreted even as the official partner of the event. Only Pepsi could turn this official status on its head by standing up for the brave new, unorthodox face of the modern game. The unplugged, organic face of contemporary cricket that is a reflective of everything that the youth of today live by. That it’s not the textbook that matters but the result at the end of the day. Because the game can always change”, commented, Agnello Dias, Creative Director, Taproot India.
Director of the TVCs, Prasoon Pandey of Corcoise Films said, “Change The Game is a powerful concept and we have tried to bring alive the same passion and excitement in the films as we would see during the World Cup. The idea was to communicate Pepsi’s celebration of cricketers’ innovative signature moves on the field in a never-seen-before manner. For instance, the first film presents an irreverent back story about Dhoni’s famous Helicopter shot to the thrill of him actually using it during the match.”
“Change the Game is a big idea in the context of the game of cricket. With this campaign we will inspire the youth to ‘change the game’, be innovative, take risks, and do things differently even if it has not been done before. We are the official sponsors of the ICC World Cup, but with this campaign we also want to be the official sponsors of everything that is unorthodox, exciting, innovative about the game of cricket”, said, Sandeep Singh Arora, Executive Vice President – Marketing, Cola, PepsiCo India.
Speaking about ‘Change the Game’, Indian Cricket Team Captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni said, “Change the Game for me is not about what you achieve, but how you achieve it. It is about the confidence to take risks and the courage to take the road less traveled. On field, it is about playing innovative shots or making game changing decisions at critical junctures of the play. Pepsi’s Change the Game campaign captures this thought in an exciting and innovative manner and I am sure Youngistaanis will strongly identify with it”.
Watch the making of the campaign in the words of Dhoni himself:
Supporting the on-air initiatives is the eye-catching off-air campaign with cricketers in a never-seen-before painted body look. The new body painted look is youthful, fresh and symbolic of the individual player’s passion for the game. Covered only with a layer of colourful body paint, the cricketers’ images reflect their energetic and unique persona on the field. Each design and choice of colour palette has a story behind it which mirrors the athlete’s character.
The campaign is being launched across various mediums and channels to ensure complete 3D activation across all verticals. It will be supported by a 360-degree approach including thematic ATL and outdoor, consumer engagement programmes, special edition packaging, in-stadia amplification and digital engagement programmes.
