'India Haven't Got it Because When You Want to Win The Big One, You Need...': Shastri on ICC Title Drought

Former head coach Ravi Shastri brushed off the chokers tag given to the Indian cricket team after their struggle to win the ICC trophies in recent times. India lost won an ICC trophy way back in 2013 when the MS Dhoni-led side clinched the Champions Trophy. India lost back-to-back World Test Championship Finals, while they struggled in the last two T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022. While they were eliminated from the semi-final in the 2019 World Cup.

After India’s recent defeat in the 2023 WTC Final against Australia, several fans and cricket critics started labelling them with the ‘chokers’ tag.

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While Shastri dismissed the tag and pointed out that India have a strong team and they have done well recently and reached the semifinals and finals in ICC tournaments.

“I would not say that. I mean, these two teams that were playing [India and Australia] were the only two teams that had a chance to win all three World Cups. And it is not that we have been rolled over [at World Cups]. We have been in semi-finals, we have been in finals,” Shastri said in the interview with The Week.

The 61-year-old said that it’s unfair to blame one individual for not winning the ICC trophy.

“We have not got it because when you want to win the big one, you need a combined effort. You cannot blame one individual, one captain,” the former India head coach said.

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Shastri further emphasised that you need big knocks from the batters when it comes to big ICC tournaments like World Cup and WTC Final to get over the line.

“You need 100s in a World Cup, World Test Championship final. Then you have a good chance of setting it up for the bowlers and winning the trophy. If you do not get a 100, you need at least three 50s, whether it is Test, T20 or one-day cricket. If you have not done that, you do not deserve to win,” he added.

India will be one of the favourites in the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup which will be played in India tentatively scheduled from October 5 to November 19.