Team India bowler Ravichandran Ashwin opened up about the ICC Trophy drought in Indian cricket in the last 10 years. He also shared what made Mahendra Singh Dhoni stand out as a leader. The spinner expressed that the former Indian skipper gave the players a sense of security in the team, which is very important.
Team India won three ICC Trophies under Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s leadership. They won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy. The wicket-keeper batter also has a great record for the Chennai Super Kings as a captain. He has led them to five Indian Premier League titles.
In a video shared on his Youtube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin expressed that there was a sense of security among the players regarding their spots. He said,
“A lot of us talk about MSD’s leadership. So, what does MS (Dhoni) do? He kept it very simple. Under the MS regime I played, he will pick a squad of 15. The same squad of 15, and 11 will play throughout the year. That security is very important for a player.”
Team India last won an ICC Trophy in 2013, when they defeated England in the final of the Champions Trophy. Since then, India has lost in four ICC tournament finals. They recently lost to Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship final in England. Ashwin expressed that he empathises with the fans, but the furore on social media to drop certain players are unfair.
“It’s understandable that there’s a furore in India that we haven’t won an ICC Trophy in 10+ years. I empathise with fans. But the reactive social media message asking this player to be dropped, that player to be dropped, this player to be included. See, the quality of a player won’t change overnight,” he said.
Reaching two consecutive WTC finals is a good achievement: Ravichandran Ashwin
Team India has been runners-up twice in consecutive World Test Championship cycles. They lost to New Zealand in the inaugural season, followed by the recent loss against Australia. Ravichandran Ashwin expressed that reaching the finals is a good achievement, and he is glad about their performance.
“On the WTC final, two (times) runners-up for me (India) in WTC. A bit disappointed, but going to the finals itself is a good achievement because it’s been played over a period of two years. So, I’m glad we did that,” said Ravichandran Ashwin.
Team India will take on West Indies in their first assignment in the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle. The first of the two tests will take place from July 12 at Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica. India will play three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies following the Test series.
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