'We're confident of defending our title'

India middle order batting mainstay Yuvraj Singh has said the depth in batting and bowling gives his side the confidence in their title defence in the ICC World Twenty20 starting on Friday.

"We're pretty confident. The Twenty20 format is very unpredictable and you never know what's going to happen but the team we have is very solid and we're confident to defend our title," said Yuvraj in a message for the first edition of ICC Cricket World audio show.

The stylish left-hander also felt that India enjoy an advantage over other teams in the biennial event because all its players were coming into the event straight after playing second Indian Premier League in South Africa. 

Meanwhile, Gilchrist, who led the Deccan Chargers to victory in this year's IPL, tipped young Indian all-rounders Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma as two of the players set to shine during the 17-day Twenty20 World Cup. 

"They (Raina and Rohit) will be two India players of the highest quality for years to come. Suresh Raina is certainly a player who is one of the most talented around the cricket world. He really impressed in the second edition of the IPL and he impressed in the first edition too," Gilchrist said. 

"He (Raina) is a guy I find is continuing to mature and show a real hunger and thirst for the game to keep learning and playing well," he said. 

"Rohit is a guy that I've seen play and show no end of talent. He's a guy who wants to learn and lead."