Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary believes that the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA won’t be an easy task for the Indian team to win. Despite being a dominant force in international cricket across all formats, the Men in Blue have failed to win an ICC trophy in the last decade, despite frequently reaching the semifinals and finals.
The Rohit Sharma-led side was on a 10-game winning streak as they entered the final against Australia, having defeated their familiar foes New Zealand in the semifinals. For the first time, India entered an ICC event final against Australia as favourites on home soil but Rohit and his team were overpowered by Australia, who were superior in the marquee final in Ahmedabad.
Speaking to Cricket Keeda Sports, Manoj Tiwary feels that Team India would have to face a lot of challenges in the T20 World Cup and stated that India has what it takes to win the tournament, but they must select players who are performing well leading into the marquee event.
“It’s gonna be very challenging for India in the upcoming World Cup is what I feel. It’s not going to be easy. However, India has the capacity and ability to win the World Cup. This is provided they persist with the players who want to play in the tournament. Like the preparations should start now and there shouldn’t be too many changes in the team,” Manoj Tiwary said.
India’s defeat in the final of the ODI World Cup extended their hunt for an ICC title. India last won an ICC event when MS Dhoni led the team to glory in the 2013 Champions Trophy. Despite coming close to winning many times, India failed to end their trophy drought. The Men in Blue will now look to grab the silverware in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Learning From Your Mistakes Is What You Should Do – Manoj Tiwary
Manoj Tiwary also drew light on how India can learn from their mistakes in the past. The batter said that India will have to pick players that have form behind them rather than going with big names and urged the Indian team management to back the in-form going into the marquee event.
“In fact, we (India) did very well in the ODI WC in 2023 and were consistent throughout the tournament. We only faltered towards the end. You can say that several “external factors” played in the minds that led to the debacle in the finals.. Which I believe. But yes, learning from your mistakes is what you should do, like learn from the mistakes you made in the 2023 ODI WC and ensure that they don’t repeat it in the 2024 T20 WC”.
“You’ve got to pick players who are in form, rather than going with the big names, I don’t think that’s gonna help the cause. Whosoever plays well in the tournaments before the WC should be picked is what I think, and they should be backed,” Manoj Tiwary added.
The West Indies and the United States will host the T20 World Cup from June 4 to June 30. India has not won the ICC T20 title since the inaugural tournament. In the previous four competitions, India had lost two semi-finals and one final. The Men in Blue hope to end their ICC title drought next year.
