Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh highlighted the lack of ICC silverware in the Indian team’s cabinet since 2013 and said that despite the presence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the Men in Blue are yet to win another ICC trophy.
India’s men’s team last won an ICC trophy in 2013 which was the Champions Trophy in England and since then, India has made it into the finals of the 2014 T20 World Cup, 2017 Champions Trophy, and 2021 ICC World Test Championship.
India also reached the semi-finals of the 2016 and 2022 T20 World Cup, and the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, but returned empty-handed every time.
If You Are Unable To Win With The Talent We Have…: Harbhajan Singh
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was an integral part of the team that won the 2011 World Cup, said that India tends to shuffle players too much which weakens them.
“It has become a bit of a pattern. In 2018-19 we saw that there was a lot of shuffling of players. Dinesh Karthik was playing, Rishabh Pant was also playing… How to win a big match, there is a little lack of experience. Big matches are high pressure. World Cup pressure is different from bilateral series. Bigger the tournament, the higher the pressure is. Very few people actually take that kind of pressure,” he told the Indian Express.
He also pointed out that with the kind of talent India possesses, they should be winning an ICC title very soon. The former spinner said that it means that India is no longer dependent on one or two players to win the big games.
“We used to say that if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli make runs, then India will win. But now there is Hardik Pandya. We have more players now (potential match-winners) and I hope this trend will change. With the kind of talent we have, I think we should be able to. If you are unable to win with the talent we have, then when will you win?” said Harbhajan.
India is on the cusp of qualifying for the final of the ICC World Test Championship final 2023 and will host the 2023 World Cup as well.