India hope to ignore World Cup distractions

Speculation over the future of star batsman Sachin Tendulkar and coach Gary Kirsten are the kind of distractions India will have to ignore if they are to lift the World Cup on home soil, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said.

The showpiece event, which begins on February 19, represents, in all probability, Indian batting maestro Tendulkar's last World Cup and it has hogged a major share of the limelight in the build-up to the event.

Local media reports have also claimed that India's highly successful South African coach Kirsten will not renew his contract at the end of the tournament for personal reasons.

"The feeling is the same (in the team). What is important for the team is to concentrate more on the process and the preparation rather than think about all the other things," Dhoni told reporters at a news conference.

"There are plenty of issues that always surround the Indian cricket team. We are quite good at distracting ourselves from these.

"But the fact remains that it will be the last World Cup for Sachin and most likely it will be the last tournament for Gary Kirsten as India's coach."