Former West Indies captain Brian Lara opines that Team India is missing a crucial final strategy in ICC events leading to their inability to secure victory in major tournaments in recent years. The Windies legend emphasizes that despite the presence of numerous superstars in the Indian team concerted efforts are required to establish a winning blueprint that can propel them to success.
India will be seeking to end their ICC championship drought during the next T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States. The Men in Blue have not won an ICC event in any format since 2013. They reached the 2023 ODI World Cup final at home without losing a match, but were defeated by Australia in the summit game in Ahmedabad.
Speaking on Star Sports, Brian Lara identified the lack of a comprehensive strategy as the Men in Blue’s primary issue leading into the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“The Indian team, just looking from the outside, in previous cups, be it in T20s, be it in 50 overs, I just feel that they lack in that final plan in terms of how they are going to go about it. It doesn’t matter how many superstars you have, how are you going to go about in this World Cup? What plans are you going to have in place? How are you going to structure your innings?”
Brian Lara
Brian Lara said:
“I believe, hopefully, Rahul Dravid can get his players working towards a certain plan to win the Cup.”
Brian Lara
India last won an ICC tournament in 2013, when they defeated England to win the Champions Trophy.
“You can pick another 15 players, and they will still be one of the favorites” – Brian Lara on India’s talent pool
Looking at the positives, Lara stated that India has a very skilled team with a large pool of players. He feels the Men in Blue might have a different 15 from the one picked for the World Cup and still be among the top teams in the game.
“I think the Indian team looks very good. India is blessed with a lot of talent. You can pick another 15 players and they will still be one of the favorites to win the World Cup. This team has a lot of experience. I think it’s balanced in both bat and ball. In the bowling department obviously, you are looking to see how many spinners they have for the conditions in the Caribbean and in America.”
“The fast bowlers will, of course, be led by Jasprit Bumrah. But I believe it’s a very experienced team. It’s a team you have seen on paper before in previous World Cups, with maybe the addition of a couple of new names.”
Brian Lara
On June 5, Team India will face Ireland in New York to begin their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign.
