'From 2022-2031, we have world championships every year' - Sourav Ganguly backs India to end ICC title drought soon

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly is confident that the Indian team will certainly clinch an ICC title soon, given each year from 2022 to 2031 has a global tournament lined up.

An ICC trophy has eluded India since 2013 when they won the Champions Trophy in England under MS Dhoni. Following that, the team has lost the 2014 T20 World Cup final to Sri Lanka, 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final to West Indies, 2017 Champions Trophy final to Pakistan, 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cup semi-finals to Australia and New Zealand, respectively, while the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship to New Zealand in 2021.

In the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India could not make it into the semi-finals in what was the first instance since 2012 that the team crashed out as early as the group stage of an ICC event.

India will win some of the tournaments between 2022 to 2031: Sourav Ganguly

With a change in leadership – India have adopted split captaincy by naming Rohit Sharma as the in-charge of the white-ball teams and Virat Kohli carrying on with Tests, and a change in coaching staff as Rahul Dravid has assumed charge, Ganguly feels that India’s title drought will end soon.

“From 2022 to 2031, there will be a world championship every year and India will be a contender. I have always believed they can win. They had a semi-final loss in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. In 2021, they lost in the group stage itself [T20 World Cup]. But like any other Indian cricket fan, I believe India will win some of those tournaments. However, they can’t win everything,” Ganguly told News18.

“It’s very difficult to predict the future, but India is a great side. We have a very good coach [Rahul Dravid] and the team is in able hands with a new captain [Rohit Sharma] as well. So, we wish them all the best. Cricket is a team game. The players together with their captain and coach make it successful. And they have been successful in the last five years; I don’t see any reason why they can’t now. I wish them the best and hopefully, we can reach greater heights in the years to come,” added the BCCI President.