India head coach Rahul Dravid stressed that the senior national team has played good cricket in International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments despite their 11-year-long wait for a major trophy. Dravid said India are not thinking about the trophy jinx and would focus on getting to the knockout stage of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Speaking to the press two days ahead of india’s Group A opener against Ireland in New York, Dravid shed light on how India have been playing some of their best cricket in major tournaments while conceding that they have not been able to get over the line in high-pressure knockout games.
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“To be very honest with you, I think we’ve actually played really well in these World Cup tournaments. In terms of our consistency, we’ve been very consistent. Obviously making the semi-final in Australia (2022). The World Test Championship is slightly different, it’s not one tournament, but it’s a whole cycle but playing extremely well in that cycle to get to the final there again,” Dravid said.
“And then we know the 50-over World Cup where we had a great run and went into the final. So, in terms of our consistency and quality of cricket that we have played in these big tournaments, we’ve been right up there with some of the best teams.”
India, under Rahul Dravid’s coaching tenure, reached the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in 2022 only to lose to England by 10 wickets. They reached the final of the World Test Championship in 2023 before losing to Australia. India were on a 10-match unbeaten run in the ODI World Cup at home, but faltered in the final hurdle against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19 last year.
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Under Rohit Sharma, India were the team to beat and entered the final as favourites, but were undone by Pat Cummins’s brilliance In the big final.
India last won an ICC trophy at the senior level in 2013 under MS Dhoni when they beat England to win the Champions Trophy. India won the Asia Cup last year, but the major trophy has been eluding the team.
Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid have once again combined for the trophy hunt and Dravid said it’s important not to carry baggage from the past.
“Yes, we probably haven’t been able to get across the line in the knockout game. So, we just probably haven’t been able to execute in that last phase. So, hopefully we play good cricket to get ourselves into those positions again and then maybe play good cricket on the day to cross the line.
“The important thing is when you start these tournaments is not to think about that, is to actually think about getting into those positions. You have to find yourselves in those positions where you are pushing for glory and that’s all you can do as a group and as a team,” he added.
India have been handed a fairly easy draw in the group stage. After their opener against Ireland, India will face Pakistan at the Nassau Country Cricket Stadium in New York on June 9. India also have the USA and Canada in their group.
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