Despite housing some of the finest talents in world cricket, India's barren run in the ICC tournaments remains a perplexing enigma. With cricketing maestros like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah donning the Indian jersey, the ICC trophy has proven to be an elusive prize.
Captains with the prowess of Kohli and Rohit, despite their monumental individual achievements, have yet to secure that coveted ICC triumph for India. Former Paksitani star cricketer Rashid Latif attributes this void to possible 'internal issues' within the team.
Kohli's leadership reign saw no ICC titles come India's way across all formats. While he voluntarily relinquished the T20I and Test captaincies, his departure from the ODI leadership was more abrupt, paving the way for Rohit Sharma to step in across all formats.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Latif mused, "Virat Kohli had a direction and he wanted to win, but he was sacked. The team couldn't perform due to internal issues. They couldn't perform in ICC tournaments because, maybe, the captain didn't get the desired players. Or maybe he got, but they weren't used."
Despite the recent setbacks, Latif remains positive about the strength and potential of the Indian side. He commented, "Their team is still pretty good, they will get a no.4. The challenge arises when the top-3 are dismissed early. If these initial batsmen manage to play out 25-30 overs, victory is almost certain. The issue is the consistency and form of the top-3, which has seen a dip. They could've reintroduced Shikhar Dhawan to the fold – he was made captain not so long ago during a tour. Players were there, but their utilization seemed haphazard."
Post-Kohli's era, under Rohit Sharma's leadership, India has experienced further setbacks, notably in the T20 World Cup 2022 and the ICC World Test Championship final in 2023. However, all eyes will be on "The Hitman" Sharma as he leads the Indian brigade in the upcoming ODI World Cup challenge this year, hoping to turn the tides and clinch the prestigious title.
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