Team leader Rohit Sharma never lost faith. His hope for an ICC win stays strong. He is happy that the team was victorious in all matches over the last three years.
Under Rohit’s excellent guidance, Team India came dangerously near to ending a ten-year ICC title drought last year. They did, however, suffer sad defeats in the World Test Championship (WTC) and ODI World Cup finals against Australia.
Aside from the ICC competitions, India has dominated throughout formats, as indicated by its rankings of No. 1 in both white ball forms and second in Tests.
Rohit Sharma, speaking to Jio Cinema on the eve of the inaugural Test against England, urged his players not to focus on the past and instead seize future prospects.
“The last three years have been great. Except winning the finals of ICC trophies, we have won everything. That’s one thing we’ve not been able to accomplish, but I think time will come. All we need to do is stay in a good mindset, 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
The Blue Team sped through the 2023 ODI World Cup. They claimed victory in nine league-stage matches, including a semi-final triumph over New Zealand. Yet, the pursuit of the anticipated ICC title persisted. This was due to Australia’s flawless execution at the climax showdown in Ahmedabad.
“I wanted to take the statistical side of cricket out of this team” – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma discussed his leadership philosophy, which focuses on the players rather than individual metrics.
At 36, he’s boosted his One Day International ( ODI) strike rate. It’s now above 115, a big leap from his career average of 91.97. In the 2023 World Cup, Rohit scored second highest, racking up 597 runs.
However, his aggressive strategy at the start of the Indian innings set the tone for match-winning totals, as indicated by his tournament strike rate of 125.94.
“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 hundreds in the 2019 World Cup, but we still lost. The hundreds don’t matter.”
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma reiterated the significance of winning trophies over individual achievements and accolades. He stated:
“I may think about them may be 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 hundreds make too much sense. Team sport is all about winning trophies, not about individual accomplishments.”
Rohit Sharma
India’s team last held an ICC title in 2013, during the Champions Trophy in England. The captain was MS Dhoni.
In 2024, The T20 World Cup in the West Indies and U.S.A. provides another chance to break the dry spell. That’s happening in June.