Sourav Ganguly lauds collective effort of Team India for impressive WTC run

The Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sourav Ganguly has lauded the collective performance of the Indian team which helped in their impressive run of World Test Championship cycle 2019-21.

India was the most consistent team right throughout the competition as they won 12 matches out of the 17 they played and finished at the numero uno position with a winning percentage of 72.2.

However, the Indian team once again faltered to cross the final hurdle as they lost to New Zealand by eight wickets in the WTC Final. The Virat Kohli-led team was not able to up to the mark in the big final and failed to cease the crucial moments of the game.

On the other hand, there were some impressive performances from the Indian players right throughout the competition. Ajinkya Rahane was the leading run-getter for the team in the WTC cycle whereas Ravichandran Ashwin finished as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 71 scalps.

“Everyone has contributed to this WTC journey. Ajinkya Rahane has been the highest scorer for India in the WTC. Don’t forget Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. For Ishant, a fast bowler, to have played 100 Tests, is not a mean achievement. After Kapil Dev, he is the only Indian pace bowler to have done so. There have been worthy contributions from Rohit Sharma, Rahane and skipper Virat Kohli. Ravichandran Ashwin has performed with the ball right through,” Ganguly told The Week Magazine in an interview.

“Both India and New Zealand have played well, and that is why they are in the final. As for the qualification criteria, it was based on the percentage of wins. Hopefully, in the next WTC cycle, there will be some tweaks. Last year, due to Covid-19, lots of matches and series were cancelled. Hopefully, the next cycle will take all this into account,” Ganguly added.

Meanwhile, it has been noticed that India has ticked the right boxes throughout the ICC events but they haven’t been able to go all the way in the final. India hasn’t savoured any success in the ICC major events since 2013 Champions Trophy and they will look to turn the tables in the T20 World Cup, which is reportedly to be held in UAE from October 17.