File photo of the Indian cricket team.© BCCI
Former Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez believes India is a tough side to beat in a bilateral series, but when it comes to major ICC tournaments, the team is underperforming. It is worth noting that India has not won any major ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy. They reached the final of the T20 World Cup in 2014 where they lost to Sri Lanka. In the semi-final of 2015 ODI World Cup, they lost to Australia. India suffered another semi-final defeat, this time in the 2016 T20 World Cup at the hands of the West Indies. After that, the side also lost the Champions Trophy final to Pakistan in 2017 before being beaten by New Zealand in the semi-final of the ODI World Cup in 2019.
India also entered the final of the 2019-21 World Test Championship where they lost to New Zealand, while England defeated them in the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
“Speaking of the past 10-12 years, whatever country they (India) are going to play in, they are the favourites. No one can beat India in a bilateral series. So far I think their success rate has been very high, but when it goes to ICC events, they don’t perform,” Hafeez said on Sports Tak.
“You cannot compare playing domestic cricket with international cricket. Similarly, you cannot compare the pressure of playing a bilateral series with being knocked out of an ICC events. We have seen in the recent past that India has not has been able to win the They lost crunch matches, semifinals and even failed to qualify.
“They lost the 2017 Champions Trophy final. I think it is a sticking point for India to prove again by performing well in an ICC event,” he added.
The 2023 ODI World Cup is set to be played in India and the hosts are said to be looking to end their ICC trophy drought that has now lasted nearly 12 years.
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