Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has bluntly assessed Team India‘s 10-year trophy drought in ICC events leading up to the highly anticipated 2023 ODI World Cup. It is widely known that the Men in Blue have faced difficulties in the knockout stages of ICC events over the past decade.
It is worth noting that their last championship victory occurred under the captaincy of former skipper MS Dhoni when they triumphed in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. Since then, India has suffered eliminations in the T20 World Cup on three occasions (2014, 2016, 2022), the ODI World Cup twice (2015, 2019), the WTC finals twice (2021, 2023), and the Champions Trophy in 2017.
Their most recent defeat came in the ICC event against Australia in the World Test Championship 2021-23 final at The Oval in London, extending their trophy drought to nearly a decade. Ravichandran Ashwin, the experienced spinner, expressed his straightforward reaction, labeling the situation as ‘ridiculous’.
“Of course, the whole social media buzz will be about whether India will be able to get an ICC trophy. We have been following this theme for so many years now of asking, “Can India end the ICC Trophy drought?” If you ask me, this is ridiculous, guys,”
Ashwin remarked.
India has a great chance this time around: Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin emphasized that India is consistently seen as the frontrunner, and the upcoming World Cup will be no exception. He reiterated that every team has an equal opportunity in ICC events, and India will begin as favorites in the tournament.
“India is a strong team. Except for a few factors, India has a great chance this time around. In fact, we went into the 2019 World Cup as strong favourites. But all the teams have had equal chances during every ICC event. If you ask me, any cricket match starts 50:50. But India do start as favourites ahead of this 2023 World Cup,”
Ashwin further added.
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