(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] For over a decade, the Indian cricket team has grappled with a drought in ICC trophies, a stark reality haunting the nation’s cricket enthusiasts since 2013. Despite a string of valiant efforts, India has failed at crucial junctures, faltering on the threshold of glory in 10 ICC tournaments spanning across various formats.
Throughout this period, India’s performance in the league stages of ICC tournaments has been exemplary, often showcasing dominance and skill. However, the knockout stages have been marred by inconsistency with one ill-fated day erasing the toil and brilliance exhibited during the league matches. The bitter pill of defeat was most recently tasted in the ODI World Cup 2023, where India remained unbeaten until the final showdown, only to succumb to Australia’s relentless pursuit of victory.
In a candid conversation with India wicketkeeper-batter and commentator Dinesh Karthik on JioCinema, India skipper Rohit Sharma opened up about the team’s exceptional run juxtaposed with the haunting absence of ICC trophies in their cabinet.
“The last three years have been great. Except winning the finals of ICC trophies, we have won everything. That’s one thing we’ve not been able to accomplish, but I think time will come. All we need to do is stay in a good mindset, not worry too much about the past, because you can’t change the past. What you can change is what is going to come next, so all of us are quite focussed on that,” Rohit said as quoted on JioCinema.
Rohit emphasized his desire to liberate the team from a stat-driven mindset, urging every individual to embrace freedom in their gameplay. Reflecting on his stellar performance in the 2019 ODI World Cup, where he amassed 648 runs at an astonishing average of 81, including five centuries, Rohit lamented the lack of a trophy despite his personal achievements.
“I wanted to bring about a certain change, players going out there and playing with a lot of freedom. I wanted to take the statistical side of cricket out of this team. We are playing our hearts out Numbers are overrated. In India, we do talk a lot about numbers and all of that. I got five hundreds in the 2019 World Cup, but we still lost. The hundreds don’t matter.
“If you don’t win trophies, I don’t think those 5-6 hundreds make too much sense. Team sport is all about winning trophies, not about individual accomplishments,” Rohit added.