The end of the calendar year 2023 is set to be on a blockbuster note. India will be hosting the 13th edition of the men's ICC Cricket World Cup. The Indian cricket team would be hoping to win their third World Cup title when the tournament rolls along.
However, India's recent performances at the ICC tournaments have not been great. Back-to-back semifinal exits at the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cups, coupled with disappointing T20 World Cup campaigns, have raised questions over the team's ability to perform in knockout games at the biggest stage.
Former Pakistan player Rashid Latif made a bold claim and revealed some inside stories about India's recent failures at ICC tournaments.
Bet on the latest cricket matches with Dafabet
What did Rashid Latif say about India's failure at ICC Tournaments?
Latif took to his Youtube channel to express his views about India ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023. He cited "internal issues" as major reason for India's failures at ICC tournaments over the past decade. He speculated Kohli's sacking from captaincy as a major reason for failure.
“Virat Kohli had a direction and he wanted to win, but he was sacked. The team couldn't perform due to internal issues. They couldn't perform in ICC tournaments because, maybe, the captain didn't get the desired players. Or maybe he got, but they weren't used", said Latif in the video.
Latif also talked about the inconsistency of India's top order. He stated that the lack of a "number 4" in the batting order is doing all the harm. However, he believes there is time for the BCCI to sort the issue ahead of the World Cup.
"Now, there are two big events -- Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the World Cup at home. Their team is still pretty good, they will get a no.4. The problem begins when the top-3 gets dismissed quickly. If the top-3 plays out the 25-30 overs, they will win easily. Their issue is the top-3 isn't performing how it used to", added Latif.
MORE: England set to unretire Ben Stokes ahead of the 2023 World Cup
According to Latif, which player should've been called back by the BCCI?
According to Latif, BCCI should have given a chance to veteran southpaw Shikhar Dhawan ahead of the 2023 World Cup. He believes that Dhawan would have given another leadership option to team India.
"They (BCCI) could've brought back Shikhar Dhawan, you had made him captain less than a year ago during a tour. You had players, you threw them here and there”, expressed Latif on his Youtube Channel.
How has India performed at ICC Tournaments over the past decade?
India's last piece of silverware came at the 2013 Champions Trophy. Post the victory against England, it has all been disappointment for the Men in Blue. India exited the previous two World Cups (2015 and 2019) in the semi finals. They lost the 2017 Champions Trophy Final to arch-rivals Pakistan.
India exited the 2022 ICC World T20I after a shameful ten-wicket defeat to England in the semis. Most recently, India has lost the 2021 and 2023 World Test Championship Finals to New Zealand and Australia, respectively.
MORE: Who has won the most MOTM Awards at the World Cup?
