Former India coach Ravi Shastri gave the examples of sporting icons Sachin Tendulkar and Lionel Messi, both of whom won world titles after many years of trying, to say that it is only a matter of time before Rohit Sharma and Co are able to lay their hands on an ICC trophy. He urged the fans to be patient.
“I think India are due. They have been consistent. They reached finals, semi-finals on a regular basis. Look at Sachin Tendulkar. He had to play six World Cups to win one ICC trophy. Six World Cups means 24 years. And on his last World Cup, he won. Look at Lionel Messi. Classic example that is. I mean how long he has been playing. And when he started winning, he won the Copa America, and the World Cup and scored in the final as well. So you have to wait. It will rain,” Shastri told SportsYaari.
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India had last won an ICC trophy in 2013 when Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team beat England in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. Since then, India have reached the final of the World T20 in 2014, the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 and the ICC World Test Championship in 2021. They have also made semi-final appearances twice in the ICC World T20 (2016 and 2022) and twice in the ICC World Cup (2015 and 2019). India would be looking to win the ICC World Cup for the second time at home when it is held in October-November this year, having already done it in 2011.
Notwithstanding India’s failure to win ICC trophies, however, they did win the Asia Cup twice in 2016 and 2018 when Shastri was at the helm. However, he lamented the fact that no one seemed to talk about those victories.
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“In our country, public memory is short. If you have to win, you have to win. During my tenure, we won two Asia Cups, but no one remembers. Has anyone mentioned Asia Cup? We’ve won it twice. And no one talks about it. But when we lose in Asia Cup, then the tournament comes into the picture. Why? That’s why I’m saying, the effort should always be there,” Shastri said in an interaction with Sports Tak.
Shastri stepped down from his role as India’s coach following the team’s disastrous exit from the World T20 in 2021 and was replaced by Rahul Dravid.
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