'Sachin Tendulkar won the World Cup in his sixth attempt' - Ravi Ashwin on discussions around India’s failure to win ICC trophy
Ashwin also criticized the media for portraying the Indian team and its members unfairly.
Veteran Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the persistent criticism that the Men in Blue face, for their failure to win ICC competitions. People sometimes overlook the fact that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have also won ICC competitions, he said, adding that even the legendary Sachin Tendulkar needed to compete in six World Cups before winning one.
India’s last World Cup win was the 2011 ODI World Cup under MS Dhoni’s leadership. The wicketkeeper-batter then led the team to another ICC title in 2013, when India won the Champions Trophy. But the Men in Blue have not managed to win any ICC tournament since. Last year, Team India competed in the T20 World Cup in Australia and advanced to the semi-finals, but they were defeated by England by 10 wickets in the semi-final match in Adelaide.
Ashwin spoke candidly about the endless debate surrounding India's failure to win ICC competitions on his YouTube channel, as he said:
“Even Sachin Tendulkar won the World Cup in his sixth attempt. That was the situation for a stalwart of Indian cricket. Just because another stalwart in MS Dhoni came in and won a World Cup as soon as he took charge, doesn’t mean that it will happen for everyone, right?”
“Virat Kohli won ICC tournament in 2011 (World Cup), and 2013 when we won the Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma has also won the Champions Trophy. So, we can give them some space. They are playing in bilateral series, IPL, and so many other matches. But when it comes to ICC tournaments, you need those crux moments to go your way,” he added.
Ashwin takes a dig at media
India will be hosting the 2023 ODI World Cup in October-November this year, and the Men in Blue have a high chance of winning the tournament, looking at their current winning form in the format. Ashwin was also critical of the media for unfairly criticizing the Indian team and its players. Regarding the debate surrounding Kohli's century slump in international cricket, Ashwin further added:
“People were consistently talking about Kohli not scoring a century for 3-4 years. Eight months were pandemic, after which there were four Tests. He also took a break. Sometimes I wonder who is framing these questions, how are they marketing these questions, and how they are packaging these questions.”
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