Since their victory in the 2013 Champions Trophy under the leadership of MS Dhoni, India has been without an ICC title.
India, led by Rohit Sharma, are set to participate in the upcoming Asia Cup, which will commence on August 30 in Multan, Pakistan. The Men in Blue will kick off their campaign against their arch-rivals, Pakistan, on September 2 in Pallekele, Sri Lanka. This continental tournament will be jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The competition will be held in the 50-over format, serving as a perfect dress rehearsal for the upcoming home ODI World Cup, scheduled to begin on October 5 in India.
Since their victory in the 2013 Champions Trophy under the leadership of MS Dhoni, India has been without an ICC title. Therefore, Rohit and his team face a challenging few months with the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup. Rohit, driven by ambition, aims to become the third Indian captain to lift the 50-over mega title, following in the footsteps of Kapil Dev and Dhoni. It is worth noting that Rohit was not part of the squad during India's triumph in the 2011 edition, co-hosted by India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, under Dhoni's captaincy.
Raja Venkat, a former member of the BCCI selection panel led by Kris Srikkanth in 2011, has recently shed light on the reason behind Rohit's omission from the squad during that time.
"When we sat to select the team, Rohit was very much in the scheme of things. Yashpal Sharma and I were in South Africa at that time because India was touring South Africa, and the other three selectors – Srikkanth, [Surendra] Bhave and [Narendra] Hirwani – were in Chennai. So, when we were selecting the team, numbers 1-14, every name was accepted by the panel. No. 15, we suggested the name of Rohit Sharma. Gary Kirsten also felt it was a perfect selection. But the captain wanted Piyush Chawla. So immediately, Kirsten somersaulted. He said: 'I think that's a better choice.' So, that is how Rohit Sharma got left out," Venkat recently told RevSportz during a freewheeling chat.
"We didn't get a chance to talk to him, but again we were also disappointed that we couldn't select him. But when the captain and coach wanted Piyush as the 15th member, we all accepted it. Initially, we had selected the 15 which we all felt was the right one. Unfortunately, we had to make one change, and we had to give it to the captain and the coach," he added.
In 2011, India emerged as the champions, triumphing over formidable teams like Australia, Pakistan, West Indies, and Sri Lanka in the final match. This victory marked their first title in 28 years. However, Rohit, unfortunately, missed out on being a part of India's victorious journey in 2011. Consequently, he is now determined to lead his team to victory in the upcoming October-November competition. The home side will commence their campaign against the five-time winners, Australia, on October 8th in Chennai.
READ| Asia Cup 2023: Date, teams, venue, squad list, schedule, and latest updates
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