Team India has failed to win an ICC title in the last decade. They have reached the knockout stages of multiple tournaments but couldn’t finish it off to become the champions. They won the last ICC tournament in 2013, when India beat England in the final of the Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni.
But with every passing tournament, the trophy drought is becoming wider and wider. Recently, India lost the final of the World Test Championship 2023 against Australia at the Oval. However, with the 2023 ODI World Cup coming up, India will have a bright chance.
Being the hosts, the Indian players have played all of their lives in Indian conditions and also have a great record at home. So can fans expect them to end the trophy drought in 2023. However, former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that every Indian player needs to do well if India wants to win the World Cup.
He also said that the team can’t rely on one of two individuals to take them out of the hole every time. In an interview with News24 Sports, Harbhajan spoke about India’s inability to win knockout games. Notably, Bhajji was part of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning and 2007 T20 World Cup-winning teams.
Harbhajan said, “Maybe the ability to punch back after absorbing the pressure has probably been seen in only one or two players. You have Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya but along with these players, the rest of the eight to ten players and the team management, everyone has to walk together with the same motive.”
Harbhajan reckons that the players need to develop the ability to absorb pressure and perform at the right time. India will open their World Cup campaign in the coming tournament with a match against Australia on October 8. The high-profile clash against Pakistan will take place on October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. India won the World Cup, last time they were the co-host in 2011. So can they repeat it again?
