It is for the first time in nine years that Team India has not made the semi-finals of an ICC event. It was way back in 2012 when the men in blue—under M.S. Dhoni—failed to make the semi-finals of the T-20 world cup in Sri Lanka. Moreover, it has been eight long years since India last won an ICC trophy.
After Monday, India’s win against Namibia not just ended an unsuccessful show at this year’s world cup in the UAE, but with it was end of an era as Virat Kohli played his last match as T20I skipper in Dubai. Touted as one of the favourites to win the title, it is safe to say that the performance of Kohli and Co. was well short.
This world cup would be the first major ICC tournament held in the midst of a pandemic. Moreover, this tournament did have its fair share of surprises as for the very first time, Pakistan beat India in a world cup match and that too by a huge margin. Moreover, the loss against New Zealand was a nail in India’s coffin as by this time, they were all but out of the tournament.
The Indian team has been on the road since June with the World Test Championship final against eventual champions New Zealand and then a tour of England with the fifth test postponed to next year due to Covid-19 infections. And with the second phase of IPL 2021 being played in September as it was postponed due to the deadly second wave that ravaged the country.
Many former cricketers like 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev where he said players should prioritise countries over IPL. Whether that criticism is warranted, or not is a question worth asking. In the opinion of former India batter Saba Karim, the criticism is warranted.
“I look at it as a disappointing result for India because we have adequate resources to fulfil our potential. We somehow did not manage to do that,” Karim told The Daily Guardian. “I think for such a big occasion like the ICC event, you can’t afford to lose focus and not perform up to your potential. One can attribute so many factors…but eventually when it mattered, we should have put all our energies into winning those two games.”
The former India batter further pointed out that the men in blue play “old-fashioned” T-20 cricket adding that Kohli’s men were “behind the curve in terms of matching up to the requirements of a T-20 international match.” Karim further stated that rather than the preparation, it was the lack of clarity on the roles that were supposed to be played by the team members.
Karim further stated that the criticism of Kohli and Team India not winning a single ICC tournament is completely justified. “It is perfectly justified—there should be scrutiny, accountability only then we will improve. I think it is very important for India to address the issues and move forward.”
Meanwhile, former India captain Anjum Chopra believes that the way team India performed better was expected to happen considering that Kohli and Co have been on the road since June. Speaking exclusively to The Daily Guardian, she pointed out that the men in blue looked jaded when they took the field. “Sometimes, your body is there but your mind is not able to react as quickly as it would react if it was completely fresh… I felt that they were looking jaded and exhausted.”
She continued: “It’s bound to happen that you faulter at any stage. The faltering level could have been during the test matches (against England) also. It was there during the IPL… A bad day is likely to happen to anyone.”
On the two semi-finals witnessed, Karim credited Australia and New Zealand for their “excellent batsmanship” against “top quality bowling lineups (of Pakistan and England respectively)”. “The way New Zealand has come up; I think that is the story of the tournament. They have always preferred their underdog tag but they have overcome that in such a splendid manner. Their demeanour in the field paints a beautiful picture.”
Chopra on the two semi-finals said that the close finishes made the two matches made the tournament “reach a completely different level all together”. “It was a different level of competition that was available to the viewer altogether.” When asked about who she would fancy to win the title from the two trans-Tasman rivals, she replied: “Australia is now a close competitor to New Zealand. New Zealand will not be having the services of Devon Conway because he’s injured himself. Probably Tim Siefert maybe walks in. It should be a good, competitive game.”
While India bowed out of the tournament on Monday with an emphatic win against Namibia, earlier this week, Rohit Sharma was announced as India skipper for the shortest form of the game. Sharma and new coach Rahul Dravid have exactly one year to prepare for the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.