“After 2007 T20 World Cup, IPL started & we haven’t won T20 World Cup in 7attempts since”, Venkatesh Prasad Blasts at Indian Team.
India’s tour of the West Indies has seen its fair share of ups and downs, with the Men in Blue securing a Test series win followed by a successful ODI series. However, their fortunes have taken a different turn in the ongoing T20I series, where they suffered back-to-back defeats against the hosts.
After narrowly losing the first T20I by four runs, the Indian team was eager to bounce back in the second match held in Guyana on August 6. However, West Indies displayed resilience and managed to clinch a thrilling two-wicket victory, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad expressed his frustration at India’s consecutive T20I losses to the West Indies since 2016. Additionally, he highlighted the fact that India has not been able to secure a T20 World Cup victory since their successful campaign in the inaugural edition in 2007. Prasad called on the team to show more intensity and hunger to win games, emphasizing the importance of performing consistently in the shortest format.
Prasad on ‘X’ wrote “Very very ordinary. No point in brushing it aside. After the 2007 T20 World Cup, IPL started and we haven’t won a T20 World Cup in 7 attempts since, making only 1 finals. The intensity and hunger to win needs to be far more,” Prasad wrote on his ‘X’ handle.
West Indies, chasing a target of 153 runs, were initially in control of their pursuit, thanks to an impressive innings by Nicholas Pooran, who scored a remarkable 67 off just 40 balls, bringing the required run rate down to below six. However, the game took a dramatic turn as some nervous cricket from the West Indies and exceptional bowling from Yuzvendra Chahal brought India back into contention. In a remarkable 16th over, Chahal weaved his magic, dismissing the dangerous duo of Shimron Hetmyer and Jason Holder while conceding just two runs.
With the game hanging in the balance, all eyes were on Chahal as he had one over left in his quota. Many anticipated that the Indian skipper, Hardik Pandya, would use his ace spinner to try and take the remaining wickets. However, to the surprise of many, Hardik opted to stick with the pacers for the final over.
Upon this Prasad expressed “And Yuzi got India back into the game in what was his third over and West Indies 8th down and he didn’t bowl again and No 9 and 10 for WI found the pacers easy to handle. Should be smarter at these moments then just doing textbook stuff.”