Team India’s ICC title drought has continued after they faced an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat from England in the semi-final of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 on Thursday. The Men in Blue did well with the bat and posted 168/6 in 20 overs. But their bowling was the major letdown as India failed to pick any wickets, with England openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales taking their team over the finish line within 16 overs.
Notably, between the period of 2007 and 2013, India won three ICC trophies – the T20 World Cup in 2007, the ODI World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013 – under the inspiring leadership of MS Dhoni.
Since the Champions Trophy win in 2013, India, despite being regarded as one of the strongest teams, has failed to grab another ICC title. In the 2014 T20 World Cup, the Men in Blue reached the final, where they suffered a six-wicket against Sri Lanka. In the following year, at the 50-over World Cup in Australia, India faced a defeat by the hosts.
The 2016 T20 World Cup took place in India, where Virat Kohli was at his peak of form. He single-handedly took his team to the finals, but the West Indies defeated the hosts to become world champions.
In the next year, arch-rivals India and Pakistan took on each other in the Champions Trophy final, where the Men in Green emerged victorious, and India’s wait for an ICC title continued.
The hopes of fans then shifted to the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England, where many expected India to clinch the title as they were looking for a perfectly balanced side. However, the Kohli-led side yet again got crushed in the semi-final against New Zealand.
In the year 2020, very few international matches took place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the next major ICC event occurred in 2021 in the form of the ICC World Test Championship final. After two years of consistent performance in the longer format, India and New Zealand made it through the finals, but Kohli and Co. lost the battle against Black Caps.
The year 2021 witnessed the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was originally scheduled to take place in 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19. India were looking solid to go further in the tournament, but things went south for the Men in Blue as they couldn’t even reach the knockout stage after losing back-to-back games against Pakistan and New Zealand.
