Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed his confidence in the Men in Blue ending the ICC title drought after losing the finals of the ODI World Cup 2023 on home soil. The Men in Blue has been the dominant side across the formats over the last decade or so but could not manage to win a single ICC trophy despite doing well in the league stage.
Despite winning three ICC titles between 2007 and 2013, India has struggled lately, particularly in the knockout stages of the marquee events, frequently falling short in the semi-finals and finals.
Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, Team India came dangerously near to ending a ten-year ICC title drought last year however, they suffered heartbreaking defeats in the World Test Championship (WTC) and ODI World Cup finals against Australia.
During an interview with Jiocinema, Rohit Sharma expressed his hope that the Indian team will soon break this barrier and win an ICC trophy. He emphasized the importance of the team having a positive mindset and playing with their hearts to prepare themselves for future big tournaments.
“The last three years have been great. Except for winning the finals of ICC trophies, we have won everything. That’s one thing we’ve not been able to accomplish, but I think the time will come.
“All we need to do is stay in a good mindset, and 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 focused on that. We are playing our hearts out,” Rohit Sharma said.
Under the legendary MS Dhoni’s leadership, the Indian team could not win any ICC trophies after their 2013 Champions Trophy victory. Although the Men in Blue consistently reached the semifinals and finals of various ICC tournaments, they failed to win a single trophy for the country. The latest heartbreak came against Australia in the finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Team Sport Is All About Winning Trophies, Not About Individual Accomplishments – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma discussed his approach to captaincy, placing the major focus on the players and their collective efforts. He believes that individual figures should not be the main concern and emphasizes the significance of winning trophies over individual numbers and accolades.
In the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit Sharma was the second-leading run-scorer, accumulating 597 runs at a very high strike rate.
“I wanted to bring about 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. Numbers are overrated. In India, we do talk a lot about numbers and all of that. I got five hundred in the 2019 World Cup, but we still lost. The hundreds don’t matter.
“I may think about them maybe 20 years later after I retire, but what did we get? I wanted the trophy. If you don’t win trophies, I don’t think those 5-6 hundred make too much sense. Team sport is all about winning trophies, not about individual accomplishments,” Rohit Sharma added.
The Indian cricket team dominated the 2023 ODI World Cup by winning all nine league-stage games and defeating New Zealand in the semifinals. However, their wait for the much-anticipated ICC crown continued, as they were defeated by Australia in the top showdown in Ahmedabad.
Rohit Sharma led the team with great skill and determination and will now have an opportunity to end their ICC drought in the 2024 T20 World Cup.