- Cricket fans in India would know by now that there’s something wrong with the present Team India, whose fulcrum of players has remained the same over the last few years. When I say wrong, it’s not about winning those bilateral series of Tests that also included one-day internationals and T20Is. The wrong should be seen in the context of multilateral cricket tournaments, especially the World Test Championships and 50-over and 20-over World Cups under the aegis of the International Cricket Council. Team India has faltered to deceive on more than one occasion, failing to cross the final line with aplomb. This must be rankling the much-feted stalwart players of international repute as well as the BCCI administrators in equal measure.
PC: AP Photo
- What could be the reason(s) for Team India, endowed with some of the topmost international players, failing to present a cohesive unit to not only take on the best in the business but also emerge, clear winners, while competing in familiar homes and challenging away conditions? Make no mistake, Team India has made every die-hard Indian cricket fan brim with pride since we conquered the mighty Australian team in Tests twice while touring Down Under. However, when it comes to multilateral cricket tournaments, Team India is found lacking in delivering the goods. We have lost two consecutive WTC finals to New Zealand and Australia, respectively. This shows everything is not hunky dory with Team India.
- Yes, we know that winning and losing are part of the game, and any team can lean on that most of the time, but it becomes wobbly when applied to Indian cricket in ICC tournaments across formats. India has played in two WTC finals, a T20 World Cup final, and two ODI World Cup semi-finals since winning the Champions Trophy in 2013, but to the dismay of cricket fans, they have failed to advance. This is unquestionably a disturbing pattern. It is important to consider whether Team India has been ineffective during the decisive matches. The derogatory term “chokers” is typically applied to groups that can succeed but frequently fall short of the queue. Thankfully, Team India is not yet present.
PC: Alamy
- India’s first assignment in the new cycle of the World Test Championship is a two-match series in the Caribbean starting in a little over a week. In the past 15 or so years, the West Indies have slumped badly in Test cricket (currently ranked No. 8 by the ICC) and should be easy pickings for No. 1 ranked India, unless Rohit Sharma and his team show diabolically poor form. If you recollect, England too was sailing in the same boat a few years ago but has turned a corner by winning the last edition of the 50-over World Cup (2019) and T20 World Cup (2022) by adopting an aggressive mindset and winning alone at any cost as the mantra. Is there a lesson for Team India and the BCCI Mandarins to change the playing style by following a similar approach? Indeed.
