‘Everyone is not Dhoni’ – R Ashwin lashes out on critics over trophy drought in major events

Despite not winning a major world tournament in the last decade, veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has backed the Indian team. Ashwin defended the team against the criticism. Questioning the critics, the 36-year-old said that even the likes of Sachin Tendulkar had to wait for about two decades to win a World Cup.

“Even the stalwart of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, won a world cup in his sixth attempt,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel. “Just because Dhoni won it in his first or second attempt, it doesn’t make sense that everyone can do it as soon as him.”

Ashwin also said that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have won a few multinational tournaments, and another is due. “Virat and Rohit have won Champions Trophy and World Cups in their careers. They are playing too many matches and need some space. “When it comes to multinational events, you need those crux moments to go your way,” he added further.

India prepping hard for the upcoming World Cup

This comes as the Men in Blue are preparing for the upcoming 50-over World Cup, which is set to be organised in India in October or November this year. Notably, the last time India won the 50-over World Cup in 2011, it was co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Indian fans have been waiting for a major trophy since 2013. In the last two years, the world’s number one T20I and ODI team have struggled a lot to make it through to the finals. Teams have recently come under fire from critics for their team selection and performance in world tournaments.

India have won five major world trophies – two 50-over world cups, two champion trophies, and one 20-over world cup, till now. Out of these, Dhoni led the team to glory in 2007 20-20 World Cup, the 2011 50-over World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy. He is one of the most decorated captains of the Indian cricket team. India are set to play the 50-over World Cup in home conditions this year, and hopes are high for the team. They will play around 25 ODIs before the World Cup, which is the most for any team during the period.