Published 22:16 IST, July 12th 2020
Sourav Ganguly says Team India have the firepower to win World Cups in future
Sourav Ganguly has said that Team India have the firepower to win World Cups in future provided they have the ability to play well in the knockouts
Sourav Ganguly has said that India have the firepower as well as the potential to win World Cups but they need to figure a way to win the semi-final and final matches. The two-time world champions have not succeeded in winning a major ICC tournament after their ICC Champions Trophy 2013 win in England & Wales under the charismatic Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Since the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 triumph, India have failed to win even a single ICC event. In fact, they have made it to semi-finals thrice (World Cup 2015, World T20 2016 & World Cup 2019) and have also made two final appearances (ICC World T20 2014 & ICC Champions Trophy 2017). Despite being labeled as the pre-tournament favorites on most occasions, the Men In Blue have failed to rediscover their rhythm when it matters the most i.e. during the knockout matches.
'We will have a chance every time': Sourav Ganguly
During his recent interaction on Sports Tak, Ganguly went on to say that the Men In Blue will win and recalling the 2019 World Cup performance in England, he mentioned that even though India had played well, but they lost the important game (semi-final) and World Cups are like that (possibly referring to how one bad day during the knockout matches can bring curtains down on an otherwise successful campaign). The reigning BCCI President then added that the Indian team will have a chance every time as there are tremendous players in the team who can take away World Cups. Nonetheless, the former skipper added that the World Cups are also about winning semi-finals and finals. Sourav also talked about the Indian team's 2003 World Cup campaign where they had played exceptionally well but the lost the final to Australia.
When Dhoni-Jadeja's rescue act went in vain
The Indian bowlers had done a tremendous job in restricting New Zealand to a manageable total of 239 in the first semi-final at the Old Trafford in Manchester. However, their run chase got off to a disastrous start when they were reduced to 5/3 and then 24/4. When the Men In Blue were in a hopeless position at 92/6, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (50) and Ravindra Jadeja (77) carried out the rescue act. The duo added 116 runs for the seventh-wicket stand and at one point, it seemed as if a fourth World Cup final appearance was on the cards.
However, with the asking rate climbing up, both batsmen had to take risks and Jadeja perished by playing a rash stroke off Trent Boult as he was caught by skipper Kane Williamson at mid-off. The onus was on MS Dhoni to finish things off in style and he kept the fans and viewers on their feet by slashing Lockie Ferguson to a six to the on-side. However, a sharp throw from Martin Guptill on the following delivery saw Dhoni short of his crease when he was running back for a risky second run in order to take the strike.
The Indian resistance was cut short post his dismissal and it meant that they had to wait for another four years to win their third 50-overs World Cup trophy. The two-time world champions were bundled out for 221 as the Black Caps won the contest by 18 runs to qualify for their second consecutive World Cup final.
Updated 22:17 IST, July 12th 2020