India will be kick-starting their 2024 ICC T20 World Cup T20 campaign against Ireland starting June 5 in Texas, USA. After the heartbreaking loss to the Aussies in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, the men in Blue will be once again in the hunt for an ICC trophy under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.
The last time India won an ICC trophy was back in 2013, under the leadership of legendary captain MS Dhoni, winning the Champions Trophy by defeating England in the final of the tournament. Since then, the Indian team has been eluded of success in ICC tournaments.
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Former Indian spinner and World T20 champion with the Indian team, Harbhajan Singh has expressed his opinions on what the mantra could be for Rohit and co. to win the coveted trophy in the upcoming tournament.
Rohit Sharma told to follow MS Dhoni's path if he wants to win the T20 World Cup as India captain
Harbhajan won the T20 title with India under Dhoni’s leadership back in 2007, who became the first ever captain to lift the trophy. Recalling key moments from that tournament, Harbhajan has advised Rohit to learn some of the tactics Dhoni used. Rohit was also a part of the squad that lifted the trophy in South Africa in 2007.
Talking to Star Sports Harbhajan stated,
Not many people know, Dhoni was a very new captain, so he needed that support from all of us. Before matches against teams like Australia, New Zealand, and England, our core group would get together during the game to strategize for the next few overs. For example, in a match against Australia, I bowled the crucial 17th or 18th overs because if we managed to give away only 4 runs, it saved us a lot.
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He added,
Back then, batters didn’t score 25 runs in an over unlike today. The decision-making was always a team effort. When you play together as a united team, you win more competitions. Dhoni was a great listener, taking collective decisions that benefited the team. It was never about individual performances but about playing as 'we.’
Harbhajan further stressed on the point of why the team needs to stay united and play as a single unit and how could Rohit inculcate that in the squad travelling to the United States and the West Indies for the tournament.
Similarly, the question now is, can Rohit Sharma do it? Rohit is not alone; it's about 'we'. If we play as a united team, thinking about collective success rather than individual achievements, then we can win. But if we only focus on personal goals, things become difficult. It's all about the 'we' mentality, and that's when things come to life.
India’s squad for the World Cup
The BCCI announced the side for the upcoming World Cup a few days ago with Rohit Sharma as captain and Hardik Pandya as the vice-captain of the team.
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Complete squad for the World Cup:
Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj
Reserves: Shubhman Gill, Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed
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