‘You need to play big tournaments as a team’ - Harbhajan Singh on India’s failure in ICC events since 2013

Harbhajan Singh thinks team India’s failure in International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments since 2013 is because they don’t play as a team in these events. Since 2013, the Indian team has played eight knockout matches in ICC events (finals and semifinals) and failed to clinch a title on each occasion. 

Most recently, the Indian side lost the finals of the 2023 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) against Australia at the Oval. India reached the finals of the WTC event on both occasions since the tournament's inception in 2021 but failed to lift the trophy. Now, the next big event around the corner is the 2023 ODI World Cup, which is set to be played in India. 

“I don't know, it's very difficult for me to say what we had and they don't. I believe players who play for the country, in whichever era they might be playing, their only motive is to play well and win for the nation," said Harbhajan in an interaction with News24 Sports. 

“We played till the semi-finals in 2015 and 2019, the ICC trophy didn't come. Maybe the ability to punch back after absorbing the pressure has probably been seen in only one or two players. You need to play big tournaments as a team," he further added. 

Team India’s challenges ahead for the ODI World Cup 2023

The former Indian spinner clearly pointed out one of the major reasons behind the Men in Blue's failure in ICC events, but looking at the upcoming events, especially the ODI World Cup 2023, which will be hosted in India, team India need to prepare their troop. 

Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah has not played an International match since September last year, and his recovery from a back injury is crucial for the two-time ODI World Cup champions. In the middle order, Shreyas Iyer is also injury prone and played his last game in March of this year. 

One of the reasons the Indian team failed in the 2023 WTC final was that they didn’t have any backup players to replace the injured batters or bowlers. But considering the home advantage and India’s crucial assets making a comeback from injuries before the marquee event, the team might as well break the curse and finally end the ICC trophy drought.