It's been a decade since Team India won an ICC trophy despite entering every tournament as one of the prime contenders to secure the silverware. The last time the Men in Blue won an ICC multi-national tournament was in 2013 when MS Dhoni orchestrated the Champions Trophy win in England. In the latest, India failed to live up to their billing in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia when England ousted Rohit Sharma's men in the semi-final by registering a resounding 10-wicket win.
Rohit and Virat Kohli have often been criticised for not leading the team to ICC titles during their era. Ravichandran Ashwin, who has played a ton of cricket with Rohit and Virat, defended his teammates by saying that even legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar also took time to clinch his first World Cup triumph.
"It's easy to say you haven't won this and so on. After the 1983 World Cup, the great Sachin Tendulkar played the 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, and 2007 World Cups. He finally won the World Cup in 2011. He had to wait for 6 World Cups to finally win one," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
"Just because another stalwart MS Dhoni came and won a World Cup as soon as he took charge, doesn't mean it'll happen to everyone, right?" he added.
The right-arm spinner urged fans to give Rohit and Virat 'space' as the duo plays a lot of cricket year in and year out.
"These players (Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli), didn't play in 2007. Rohit Sharma missed out on the 2011 World Cup. Only Kohli played in 2011, 2015, 2019 and now he will play his fourth World Cup in 2023. 'He hasn't won an ICC tournament' they say. He has won it in 2011, he has won the 2013 Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma has also won the 2013 Champions Trophy. So, we can give them space guys. They are playing bilaterals, IPL, and so many other matches. When it comes to ICC tournaments, you need those crucial moments to go your way," the veteran spinner added.
