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For the second time in a row, Indian cricket team suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the title match of the World Test Championship (WTC Final). Among all Test playing nations, team India is the only team to reach the WTC final twice in a row. In the recently-concluded 2021-2023 season, India were defeated by Australia by 209 runs in the summit clash, while they lost against New Zealand in the title match of the 2019-21 World Test Championship edition, losing to New Zealand by 8 runs. The last time India won an ICC final was under MS Dhoni’s captaincy — ICC Champions Trophy 2013. India’s ICC Trophy drought extends to 10 years now which they might overcome in the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
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Meanwhile, many former cricketers have come out heavily at India for their average outing on such a big occasion. In a video posted on his YouTube Channel, Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra too lashed out at team India for their timid performance against Australia in the WTC Final, but with quite a funny anecdote.
“Australia have defeated us in a very convincing fashion. They have also lifted the WTC trophy and become the only team in the world to win all ICC trophies. There isn’t a trophy that is not in Australia’s cabinet. And if we talk about us, since 2013, it’s just – Dil ke armaan aansuon mein beh gaye (Our hopes were swept away in our tears),” Chopra said.
“When we get knocked out from an ICC tournament, whether it is a World Cup semi-final or this WTC final or anything else, we always say that we have played good cricket. Of course, we have played good cricket,” he added.
India changed captain from Virat to Rohit. The major reason behind Virat’s removal as captain was India not winning a single ICC trophy in the last few years but even under Rohit’s captaincy, the ICC trophy drought continues to extend. Aakash Chopra suggested that the team management needs to introspect as the issue lies somewhere else, not just the captaincy.
“To play well and not lift a trophy in 10 years, it requires introspection because you even changed the captain. Earlier it was that we should change the captain if (Virat) Kohli is not a good captain, but you don’t win the trophy even when another captain came. It’s not about the captain, the issues lie somewhere else,” he said.
“You need to address that as 10 years is too long a time for you to continue playing good cricket but not lifting the trophy. Australia won the trophy in Dubai. They say that those conditions don’t suit them and we didn’t even qualify for the semi-finals,” he added.
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