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14 March 2007
Mumbai, India
With the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup just around the corner, Indian fans appear to have every confidence that the Indian team will win the World Cup. According to an online study on the upcoming 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies conducted with Nielsen India’s online research panel Your Voice, just over half (53%) of Indian respondents think India will win the 2007 World Cup Cricket, while less than a quarter think Australian will win, and only 13 percent think South Africa will win the Cup. Indians also nominate Ricky Ponting from Australia as the best Captain for the World Cup, among all teams.
Cricket has always been very close to the heart of the Indians-its like a religion and the level of enthusiasm amongst the Indian fans is certain to grow in the lead up to the World Cup,” said N S Muthukumaran, Director, Online Research for The Nielsen Company in India, “The team’s recent performance against the West Indies has also bolstered fans’ confidence in their team which is reflected in the results of our study.”
Little masters, Sachin Tendulkar who reigns supreme in the heart of all Indian cricket fans is expected to be the highest scorer and the Man of the tournament while M. S. Dhoni with his strong arm and affinity to hit sixes, is predicted to emerge as the highest six hitter of the Game. According to Indian fans, terrific fielders Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting of the Australian side are expected to make it for the greatest number of catches title.
Most people surveyed are satisfied with the team selection, with 93 percent of the opinion that Saurav Ganguly would be a good addition to the team. The majority of respondents also endorse the choice of Rahul Dravid as captain (80%), and Greg Chappell as coach (68%) for India. For most, the ideal 11 would include Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly,Virendra Sehwag,Rahul Dravid,M.S. Dhoni,Yuvraj Singh,Anil Kumble,Irfan Pathan,Harbhajan Singh,Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar. (Refer Chart 1)
“This team line-up resonates very positively in the hearts of ardent fans. People still consider experience to be key and would like to see the magic of the previous opening pair of Ganguly and Tendulkar re-lived in this World Cup. Sehwag and Robin Uthappa are also considered good openers by many,” added Muthukumaran.
Watching the matches live this time round will be a challenge for many Indian fans because of the time difference between the Caribbean and India, with interest in matches likely driven by the level of the match in the series. 29 percent of respondents will be glued to their TV sets for all matches including warm-up games, while one third plan to watch all the main matches and 15 percent will watch from the ‘Super 8’ match onwards only.
And while cricket fever is running high, not many plan to visit the West Indies to watch the World Cup live. Instead, 81 percent will watch the matches from the comfort of their homes and will rely on the Television for latest updates on the games (73%) followed by the Internet (63%) and newspapers (48%).
The prediction game:
Predicting the outcome of the World Cup is an interesting game in itself, and has already become the talk of the town in India. As the Nielsen survey shows, India, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand are predicted to reach the semi-finals, with 91 percent of those surveyed believing India will make it into the final, to play Australian for the championship.
“With the World Cup Cricket a major sporting event in India this year, companies will be looking to capitalize on opportunities for additional businesses. Our survey brings some good news for the manufacturers and retailers of snacks, with 62 percent of respondents claiming they like to watching cricket with the accompaniment of some crisps, with more than a third opting for carbonated soft drinks and 30 percent reaching for the popcorn,” said Muthukumaran
About the survey:
The survey was conducted using Nielsen India’s online research panel Your Voice to understand Indians’ views and predictions on the upcoming 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. The total number of people survey was 209 (80% men, 20% women). The mean age group of the respondents was 30.The sample was distributed across regional and linguistic groups.
About Your Voice Panel
Your Voice is an access panels developed by The Nielsen Company in India and a number of countries globally. Nielsen conducts regular online market survey among Your Voice panel members. In exchange for completing surveys, panelists earn reward points which can be exchanged for a selections of gifts. In addition lucky draws take place every month for gifts worth Rs 25,000/-. To join the panel please visits www.yourvoicie.co.in.
About ACNielsen
ACNielsen, a division of The Nielsen Company, is the world's leading marketing information provider. Offering services in more than 100 countries, the unit provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and consumer attitudes and behaviour. Clients rely on ACNielsen's market research, proprietary products, analytical tools and professional service to understand competitive performance, to uncover new opportunities and to raise the profitability of their marketing and sales campaigns. To learn more, visit www.acnielsen.co.in.
About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.
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