The Indian cricket team’s elimination from the T20 World Cup 2022 has left many heartbroken. Team India has failed time and again to win the ICC tournaments for nearly a decade now. Team India previously lost the final of the 2014 T20 World Cup before losing the World Cup semifinals in 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2022. Besides this, team India lost the finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy and the World Test Championship in 2021.
Ever since India’s exit from the T20 World Cup 2022, team India has been receiving criticism from all corners. Here, in this article, we bring you some bold statements made by cricketing legends.
Check out the 5 bold statements made by the cricketing legends after India’s T20 World Cup 2022 exit.
1. Sunil Gavaskar:
Sunil Gavaskar stated that Indian cricket need to move on from the “workload management,” further insisting that the players forget such a concept when they play throughout the IPL. He said:
“Changes will be there. Jab aap World Cup me jeet nahi sakte, changes honge. Hamne vo dekha hai ki jo New Zealand ke liye team jaa rahi hai, usme changes hue hain. ye jo ‘workload-workload’ ki baatein chalti hai, Kirti aur Madan ne sahi kaha ki workload sirf Bharat ke liye khelne ke liye kyun hota hai?” (When you can’t win World Cup, there will be changes. The team for New Zealand has changes. But everytime we talk about this ‘workload’, why does it only happen when they play for India?)
“Aap IPL khelte hain, poora season khelte hain, vahan aap travelling karte hain… sirf pichhla IPL 4 centres me hua tha, baaki sab jagah aap idhar-udhar daudte rehte hain. Vahan par aapko thakaan nahi hoti? Vahan workload nahi hota? Sirf jab Bharat ke liye khelna hota hai, vo bhi tab jab aap non-glamorous countries me jaate hain, tab aapka workload banta hai? Ye baat galat hai.” (You play in whole season of IPL, travel from one place to other. You don’t get tired there? Is there no workload? Only when you play for India, especially when you have to tour a non-glamorous country, you remember workload? This is wrong).
2. Kapil Dev:
Kapil Dev went to an extent that he labeled Team India with the dreaded ‘C’ word. He said:
“See, now that the match is over, it is unfair that we should come down this hard on the Indian team. Yes, they did not play well and criticism is justified. But as far as today’s match, all we can say is that England read the pitch better and played better cricket. I will not dwell into the details and won’t go all out in bashing them because these are the same players who have gotten us a lot of respect in the past but yes, they are chokers. There is no denying it – after coming so close, they choke. I get it but I would still say that the team needs to look ahead. It’s time for the youngster players to come forward and take charge,”
3. Wasim Akram:
Wasim Akram blamed IPL for India’s poor performances in the ICC tournaments.
“Sabko yehi that ki IPL se India ko bara fark padega because IPL started in 2008. Usse pehle India 2007 me T20 World Cup jitee. Jabse se IPL shuru huyi hai, aaj tak, abhi bhi unfortunately, India kabhi T20 World Cup nehi jita. So usse phir ek question udhta hai ki kya fark padta hai ki, jo main ek interview sunn raha tha abhi, ki unke players jo overseas jaake leagues nehi khelte, ek extra league khelne ki bhi permission milo jaye, kya fark padega innlogon ki approach main?” (Everyone thought India would benefit from IPL. It started in 2008. India won the T20 World Cup in 2007. But since the start of IPL, India never won the T20 World Cup. So the question arises, I was just listening to an interview, will India’s approach change if they are allowed to play overseas leagues?)
4. Michael Vaughan:
Vaughan called team India the most underperforming team in white-ball history. He said: “India are the most under-performing white-ball team in history,” Vaughan wrote in his column for ‘The Telegraph.
“Every player in the world who goes to the Indian Premier League says how it improves their game but what have India ever delivered?”
“Since winning the 50 over World Cup on home soil in 2011 what have they done? Nothing. India are playing a white-ball game that is dated and have done for years,” he added
5. Ravi Shastri:
Former coach Ravi Shastri has called for changes in India’s T20 squad. He said:
“India needs a new team, fresh legs, and a good fielding unit. You need to bring in fresh legs,”
He added: “A new Indian team under Hardik Pandya will be traveling to New Zealand soon. Clearly, the selection committee has sent the signal. Hardik Pandya won the IPL in his first year as captain and the team under him will be different. There could be retirements, there are a lot of players in their mid-30s who might consider their future in international T20s,”
