When Captain Rohit Sharma leads his team to the ICC T20 World Cup on June 5, he will undoubtedly aim to surpass the disappointment of losing the ODI World Cup title at home last year. This year’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in the US and the West Indies. India will commence their campaign on June 5 against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
The 36-year-old Rohit will be striving to secure an ICC trophy that has eluded India since 2013. India’s last T20 World Cup triumph was in the inaugural edition in 2007 when the team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni defeated Pakistan by five runs in the final.
This stands as India’s solitary title in the tournament’s history. Since their victory in 2007, India have made it to the final only once in eight editions, ending as runners-up in the 2014 tournament in Bangladesh after a six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka.
Can Rohit guide India to an ICC title this time?
India’s star batsman Shikhar Dhawan is optimistic that Rohit and his team will clinch victory.
“Of course, there is lots of pressure playing for India in World Cups and Rohit is an experienced guy. I am sure his experience will come in handy, he knows how to soak the pressure and definitely, India will come out with flying colours,” Shikhar told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
“It’s great to see players like Shivam Dube. Yuzi (Yuzvendra Chahal), and Sanju (Samson) getting their deserved spot in the ICC tournament and we got a very balanced side and we got to play really good cricket. Good luck team India and we are all rooting for you guys,” the veteran batsman said.
Virat Kohli, the Master of Chases
Virat Kohli has shown remarkable performance in the recent two ICC events—the ICC T20 World Cup in 2022 and the ICC ODI World Cup in 2023. The Indian batting legend finished as the leading run-scorer in both tournaments.
In the 2022 T20 World Cup, Virat accumulated 296 runs in 6 matches with an impressive average of 98.66, including four half-centuries. His exceptional, unbeaten 82-run match-winning innings against arch-rivals Pakistan was a standout moment of the tournament.
Virat continued his impressive performance in the ICC ODI World Cup, held in India. Despite India’s loss in the final against Australia, Virat was named the Man of the Series. He amassed 765 runs in 11 matches, with an average of 90.31, including 3 centuries and 6 fifties in the tournament.
Shikhar is confident that Virat will shine once more as Team India strives for an ICC title.
“Apart from Rohit, I feel Virat (Kohli) and Jassi (Jasprit Bumrah) will be crucial for Team India’s success in the T20 World Cup,” the left-hander said.
“Virat is the chase master and his mere presence in the field demoralises the opposition. Jasprit is the world’s best bowler at the moment in all 3 formats and if India are to win the World Cup, he will play a vital role in it,” Shikhar said.
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