Since India’s last ICC trophy win at the 2013 Champions Trophy under the leadership of MS Dhoni, the team has been striving to reclaim that glory. Despite coming close in the recent ODI World Cup, held on home soil, India faltered at the final hurdle against Australia.
Reflecting on the missed opportunity and outlining the path to breaking the 11-year drought for another ICC trophy, former opener Virender Sehwag emphasized the importance of adopting a fearless approach.
Recalling the pivotal moments of the World Cup final, Sehwag noted the lack of aggressive intent between the 11th and 40th over, where India managed only a couple of boundaries. Highlighting Captain Rohit Sharma’s promising start, Sehwag pointed out the loss of momentum following Sharma’s dismissal by Glenn Maxwell after a brisk 47 off 30 balls. This setback resulted in India posting a subpar total of 240 all out.
Drawing from his own experiences, Sehwag highlighted the mindset of treating every match as a knockout game during his tenure from 2007-08 to the 2011 World Cup. This mentality of treating each match as do-or-die contributed to India’s success in various tournaments leading up to the World Cup. Sehwag suggested that instilling a similar mindset within the current Indian team could be instrumental in their preparation and performance.
According to Sehwag, the key ingredient lacking in the Indian dressing room is the fearlessness and courage required to play with calculated risks, especially in high-stakes matches.
Despite a strong start in the defense of their total, with the Australian team reeling at 47 for 3 in just 7 overs, opener Travis Head’s aggressive innings, notably his match-winning 137 off 120 balls in partnership with Marnus Labuschagne (58 not out), dashed India’s hopes.
