What If... India Lose Yet Another ICC Event? Would It Be End of Road For Rohit & Virat?
Team India is still to win an ICC trophy since 2013 (Twitter)
Another ICC event is over India's head. The Men In Blue have been one of the biggest bulls of world cricket for quite some time now. And the upcoming global event will be played on India's home soil, in conditions where our 15 men have played from a tender age. But will we be the favourites (not according to the broadcasters)?
The answer would be - NO!
No disrespect, but this Indian team is nowhere close to being that gritty Indian unit from the past. We often see them missing out on crucial moments in big matches, which later turn out as massive misses. They may play top-flight cricket in bilateral tournaments, but the opponents - in knockout moments - tend to get the Giant from the sub-continent by their nerves.
It has been a constant with India since its defeat in 2019's World Cup semifinal. And to put it in more sociable words, Men in Blue - of late - in ICC events never get to be 'the bride' and end up as 'the bridesmaid'. Before 2019, they still were an impeccable unit, but now they seem more vulnerable than ever. Even before the start of the game, their body language tells a whole story.
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What has been the reason for India's nosedive?
Inconsistent in team selections, lack of clutch players in the scheme of things and losing the tempo. Let's not get into that debate.
The debate should be about what would happen if India lose another ICC silverware.
Over the years, the team management has taken someone or the other (lesser known entity) by his collar to term him the black sheep for that loss. But should it be the case this time around as well?
But isn't it the time to get over our star-studied lobby of players - not just if they lose but also if India win the glory? Didn't the same happen after India's 2011 triumph? Remember what happened with the likes of Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, et al.
Although India doesn't plan to keep the bigger picture in mind, things are done as a PR stunt now.
Should WC 2023 be Rohit, Virat's last dance?
Keeping the next World Cup cycle in mind - Rohit Sharma (36), Virat Kohli (34), KL Rahul (31), Ravindra Jadeja (34), Mohammed Shami (32), Yuzvendra Chahal (32), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (33) - can not be India's core, and the selectors should chalk down their plans accordingly.
Rohit Sharma is India's current all-format captain (Twitter)
If that happens, Hardik Pandya could be picked as Rohit's successor, and he might look to rejig the whole coaching setup alongside the squad. And why not? Every team needs an inspirational character like Brendon McCullum or Ashish Nehra, not to coach players but to man-manage them.
Should it be the end of the road for Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli and their legacies?
Ummm, it could be.
But shouldn't they be given more respect than this, as they are India's second and third most century-makers, at least in the ODI format?
Respect, yes! But one should keep a thing in mind - no cricketer is bigger than the sport, and no legacy is more sizeable than a country's. Remember the legendary Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar also wanted to play in the 2015 World Cup, but did he?
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