India’s cricket team has not won an ICC tournament in almost a decade. Their last ICC triumph was the 2013 Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni in England. Although India has come close to winning a few times, including the 2014 T20 World Cup final against Sri Lanka, the 2017 Champions Trophy final against Pakistan, and the 2019 World Test Championship final against New Zealand, they have yet to win another tournament. India has also made it to the semi-final in the 2015 ODI World Cup, the 2016 T20 World Cup, the 2019 ODI World Cup, and the 2022 T20 World Cup, but their most disappointing outing was in the 2021 T20 World Cup in UAE, where they failed to reach the final four.
Despite India’s overall good performance, the lack of trophies has resulted in severe criticism towards players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. However, Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin disagrees with this narrative and believes that winning an ICC tournament should not be the only parameter to judge a player. If it is, then at least they should be given time to do so.
Ashwin used the example of legendary Sachin Tendulkar to emphasize his point. Tendulkar played in six World Cups before finally winning one in 2011. Ashwin also spoke about MS Dhoni, who won the T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup in his first attempt as captain of the Indian side, and how it does not mean that it will happen to everyone.
The ace all-rounder urged fans to give Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli time to perform. He reminded the fans that these players did not play in the 2007 World Cup and Rohit Sharma missed the 2011 World Cup, while Kohli played in the 2011, 2015, 2019 World Cups and will play in his fourth World Cup in 2023. Despite not winning an ICC tournament recently, Ashwin noted that Kohli and Rohit Sharma have already won the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Ashwin emphasized that when it comes to ICC tournaments, crucial moments need to go one’s way. He also pointed out that players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are constantly playing in bilateral series and the Indian Premier League (IPL), which are other important matches for the team.
In conclusion, Ravichandran Ashwin believes that winning an ICC tournament should not be the only measure of a player’s success. He encouraged fans to give time to players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and recognize their achievements in other matches as well. Winning an ICC tournament requires crucial moments to go one’s way, and players are constantly playing in other important matches, such as bilateral series and the IPL
