With just two weeks left for the thrilling ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 to begin in the United States and West Indies, India’s journey to end its 11-year trophy drought will kick off on 5 June.
Under Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy, India lifted the last ICC title in 2013, the Champions Trophy, when they defeated hosts England in a rain-curtailed final.
Under Dhoni’s leadership, India clinched the 2007 and 2011 ICC Men’s T20 World Cups. However, the country has not won an ICC trophy since 2013, though it did manage to reach the final of the home ODI World Cup last year and lost to Australia.
ALSO READ: Gautam Gambhir backs Hardik Pandya amidst criticism, slams RCB great for remarks against Mumbai Indians captain
With the Indian squad all set and prepared to fly for the tournament under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, Harbhajan Singh advises the skipper to learn a thing or two from MS Dhoni to marshal his troops.
Singh recalled critical moments from the 2007 T20 World Cup campaign and suggested Rohit incorporate it in him.
“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,” Harbhajan told Star Sports as he remembered the campaign.
ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma speaks about the ‘proudest moment’ of his career, ‘When I was a little kid…’
“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’.
“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,” he added.
India’s schedule at T20 World Cup:
India will begin the tournament on 5 June as the face Ireland. Following this, they will face their arch-rivals Pakistan on 9 June.
On 12 June, India will play with the USA and then Canada on 15 June. All the matches will begin at 8 pm IST.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!
More
Less
Published: 16 May 2024, 08:17 PM IST