The T20 World Cup begins on October 16 and Team India will be looking to erase the memories of their horror show in 2021. On that occasion, India failed to make it to the semis for the first time since 2012.
Track record
India lost in the semis six years back and finished runners-up in 2014. But they do have the honour of winning the first-ever T20 World Cup fifteen years ago. In 2007, under MS Dhoni’s leadership, the Men in Blue lifted the trophy.
AP
Common factors
Of that particular squad, 2 men are in the current squad. They are Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik. Fifteen years later, they are still there. Of course, their fates have not been the same.
Dinesh made his international debut in 2004 and due to Dhoni bursting on the scene later that year, struggled to maintain a place. But he made the best use of whatever opportunity he got. Now at 37, Dinesh is in the twilight of his career and will be looking to finish on a high.
Rohit made his international debut in 2007 but it was only in 2013 that he formally established himself in the team. The coming years saw him break several records including the highest ODI individual score and most ODI 200s – 3 in total. As a skipper he led India to victory at the 2018 Asia Cup and now will be at the helm at the T20 World Cup.
AFP
Time flies
Back in 2007, both were novices. Rohit was a 20-year-old newcomer and Karthik was a 22-year-old with not much experience at the international level. Fast forward to 2022, both are seasoned veterans and while Karthik doesn’t have an exceptional record as Rohit, both are lethal with the willow. Rohit is a shrewd leader and Karthik is effective with the gloves as well.
Blaze of
glory
This could be their final T20 World Cup so it will be interesting to see if they can sign off on a high.