Dinesh Karthik explains the reason behind India's failure to win ICC tournaments in recent years

Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has opened up on why India have failed to win ICC tournaments in recent years. India have not won an ICC tournament since the win in the 2013 Champions Trophy in England. Karthik was a part of the Indian team for that victorious campaign. Since then, India have played two 50-over World Cups, two T20 World Cups as well as the Champions Trophy but without success.

India have consistently done well in the league phase of the tournaments but failed to cross the finishing line in the knockout games. In the 2014 T20 World Cup, India made it to the final where they lost to Sri Lanka. In the following year, they made it to the semi-final of the World Cup where they lost to eventual winners Australia. In 2016, they once again lost in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup at home.

A couple of years later, India’s campaign in the Champions Trophy ended in the final with a heavy defeat against arch-rivals Pakistan. In 2019, India made it to the semi-final of the World Cup after topping the league phase but lost the knockout game against New Zealand. India’s failure to cross the final hurdles in the ICC tournaments has been very baffling because of their stunning performances in the league or group phase of the same tournaments as well as across the globe in bilateral series.

Dinesh Karthik on India’s failure to win ICC tournaments:

As India struggle to win the ICC tournaments, Dinesh Karthik has explained the reason behind it. While insisting that he is not too worried about the results, the wicketkeeper-batsman stated that there is no code to crack when it comes to ICC tournaments. He also pointed out how India have always made it past the knockout stages.

“There is no code to crack. When you play a tournament like that (ICC competitions) the most important thing is the league phase. If you’re a consistent team, more often than not you will reach the knockout stage. India as a cricketing nation has always done that,” Dinesh Karthik told Sportskeeda.

“In almost every tournament that we’ve played, we’ve reached the knockouts. In the knockouts, it depends on whatever happens that one day. Unluckily the rub of the green has not gone our way. Almost every ICC tournament, we’ve made it to the semi-finals. But you have one bad day and it so happens to be on that day,” he added.

Karthik concluded by saying that with the amount of talent India have, it is only a matter of time before they win the next ICC tournament. India will have a chance to end their long wait this year when they host the T2o World Cup in the second half of the year.

“You can’t be too harsh on yourself and pinpoint too many wrong things. I think given the talent and the kind of players that we have I’m sure it is only a matter of time. It will happen definitely,” Dinesh Karthik concluded.