R Ashwin's 'Ridiculous' Retort To "Can India End ICC Trophy Drought?" Question
As India's ICC trophy drought continues, veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his take on the issue.
It has been more than 10 years of India's ICC trophy drought. In 2013, the side won the Champions Trophy and since then it has struggled to finish things off. India lost to Sri Lanka in the final of 2014 T20 World Cup before the side lost the 2015 ODI World Cup semi-final at the hands of Australia. In the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final, India were defeated by West Indies. They then suffered a loss against arch-rivals Pakistan in the final of Champions Trophy in 2017.
Two years later, New Zealand beat India in the semi-final of ODI World Cup. Things got worse for India as the year 2021 saw them failing to advance to the knockout stage of T20 World Cup. An improved show in 2022 saw India entering the semi-final of the mega event where they lost to England.
India have also missed the ICC titles in red-ball cricket too after losing the finals of World Test Championship in 2021 and 2023.
A question that keeps popping every now and then is that 'Can India end the ICC trophy drought?'. India's veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his opinions regarding this.
"... India do start as favorites ahead of this 2023 World Cup," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
"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.
"India is a strong team. Except for a few factors, India has a great chance this time around."
The 2023 ODI World Cup will be taking place in India across 10 venues. The tournament will kick off on October 5 with the final scheduled to take place on November 19.
India Cricket Team
Ravichandran Ashwin