Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has put his weight behind India to go all the way in the T20 World Cup 2024. India came in touching distance to win the ODI World Cup 2023 as they dominated right throughout the tournament but could get over the line in the all-important final against Australia as they lost by six wickets.
India last won a major ICC event back in 2013 when MS Dhoni led the team to glory in the Champions Trophy. However, since then the Indian team has failed to bring their best in the knockout stages.
Meanwhile, India has a galaxy of T20 stars and the IPL has also played a key role in uplifting Indian cricket to new heights. The Men in Blue also took a 2-0 lead against Australia in the ongoing five-match T20I series.
Ravi Shastri told reporters at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday: “I see India winning a World Cup very soon. It might not be a 50-overs (one) that easily because you have to again rebuild the side, but 20-overs cricket, the very next one India will be very serious challengers because you have got the nucleus, it’s a shorter format of the game. Your focus should be on that.”
On the other hand, Shastri said India had a fabulous campaign at the recently concluded World Cup but admitted it still hurts that they could not lift the coveted trophy.
“I think it was fabulous. To be honest, it still hurts from the outside, that we could not win the cup because we were the strongest team. The way the bowling stood up towards the mid stage of the tournament, you thought they had a great, great chance. But then nothing comes easy – even the great man Sachin Tendulkar had to wait (for) six World Cups to win one. You don’t win World Cups (easily), to win a World Cup you have got to be damn good on that big day. What you did earlier does not count.”
India has been ticking all the right boxes and they just need to find a way to win the big matches, which they haven’t done in the last decade.
