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Indian team needs to find a way to turn it on big days in ICC tournaments: Brian Lara

Abdullah719

T20I Captain
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NEW DELHI: The Virat Kohli-led Indian team needs to figure a way out to "turn it on the big day" to break its knock-out jinx at the global white ball tournaments, feels the legendary Brian Lara.

India have been reaching semi-finals and finals of the ICC tournaments consistently but have fizzled out on the big days and it hasn't gone unnoticed with Lara.

"That's one of the things that you have to understand. Everybody is lining India up. It's like fait accompli that India is going to make the semi-finals or definitely going to make the knock-out stages," Lara said on the sidelines of the announcement first ever Samarthanam Women's National Cricket Tournament for the Blind.

The world record holder of highest individual score in Test cricket feels that India need to grow that aura of invincibility on big days like West Indies of 70's or Australian team of the last decade that won hat-trick of 50-over World Cups.

"Everybody is gearing up for that match, whether it's a quarter-final or semi-final match. Look at how New Zealand played against India. They knew whom to target and what to do. So India will have to appreciate that.

"The invincibility of the West Indies in '75 and '79, Australia about three or four World Cups, they would tick all the boxes. They were so dominant. They knew in 1999, 2003 and 2007, they were the strongest teams. But they made sure that they tick all the boxes and stay that step ahead. Everybody knew that they had to beat Australia to win the World Cup. India need to appreciate that and turn it on at the right time," said the 50-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago.

Skipper Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma are two of the best players in white ball format but teams have somehow figured out that getting them would do the job.

"You always feel that there is an opportunity to beat India if a Kohli or a Rohit doesn't score. That always is a weak-link. If you can get these two guys, we are into them. If they can defy that and have all 11 players walk in the same direction, understand their roles, I think India can win many many World Cups in future.

"It's just a one-match disappointment for India. It happened in England, it happened before and it might happen again where you don't play at your best on one such day."

Lara is hopeful that West Indies with some good talent can do justice in the upcoming T20 World Cup after a good show in their 1-2 defeat against India in the recently concluded series.

"West Indies team performed creditably in the three-match series. India stamped their authority winning the last game. But there are a lot of bright young stars in the West Indies team, and in 10 months they will be a force to reckon with. We are double World T20 champions so don't take us easy."

It was destiny that David Warner stopped at 335 not out and didn't go on to break his individual world record of 400 but someone like Rohit Sharma can break Lara's record.

"He did look destined to do it. But the decision to declare was vindicated as Australia got six Pakistan wickets by the evening. It's all destiny and it's not something that you could plan," Lara said.

"Players like David Warner, in past Gayle, Inzamam, Jayasuriya, Hayden, attacking players are the ones who are best suited to break record.

"Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma if he bats day or day and half, can definitely break the record. Hopefully, I am around to see that. I don't think records are meant to be kept. Sitting down as 50-year-old with two World records is not that exciting."

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...icc-tournaments-lara/articleshow/72623195.cms
 
They should be OK whenever they get the opportunity in their own home.
 
They should be OK whenever they get the opportunity in their own home.

Not that they can't do it away but at home I don't think it should be a problem at all. They'll stroll to the trophy with the way things are going for the Indian team
 
We don't have quality in the middle order since Yuvraj-Dhoni pair. Raina solved the issue for a short period of time but we have always struggled to find quality hitters down the order.

India would just be hoping that Iyer and Pant somehow could establish themselves in the middle order for a longer period and become a vital cog to Indian team.
 
They should be OK whenever they get the opportunity in their own home.

Need more clutch players. Like ABfan mentioned, Raina, Yuvraj and Dhoni were all clutch. Without such players we will lose even in the subcontinent as seen during the T20 world cups.

Raina bailed India out in WC2011 semis, Gambhir and Dhoni in finals. With clutch genes they complemented the overburdened star performers' in SRT and Sehwag.
 
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We have developed this annoying trend since 2014 where we start every tournament like a boss, beat every team black and blue on our way to knock outs only to bottle it up in the semi or final. I'd much rather have us start slowly then picking up the pace as the tournament goes on and save our best for the finals. Since 2015 we lost all knock outs to lesser teams.
 
We have developed this annoying trend since 2014 where we start every tournament like a boss, beat every team black and blue on our way to knock outs only to bottle it up in the semi or final. I'd much rather have us start slowly then picking up the pace as the tournament goes on and save our best for the finals. Since 2015 we lost all knock outs to lesser teams.

We lost to SL in the group stage of CT 17 and England in the group stage in the World Cup. Definitely not just a knockout issue. We don't have enough quality players to win tournaments . Too reliant on top 3, wrist spinners .
 
Need more clutch players. Like ABfan mentioned, Raina, Yuvraj and Dhoni were all clutch. Without such players we will lose even in the subcontinent as seen during the T20 world cups.

Raina bailed India out in WC2011 semis, Gambhir and Dhoni in finals. With clutch genes they complemented the overburdened star performers' in SRT and Sehwag.

To be fair , Sehwag 's assault on Gul - the best bowler of the tournament till that point - did set the tone of that semi -final and Pakistan were playing catch up cricket after that. It was crucial to get those runs before the pitch started slowing down quickly.
 
To be fair , Sehwag 's assault on Gul - the best bowler of the tournament till that point - did set the tone of that semi -final and Pakistan were playing catch up cricket after that. It was crucial to get those runs before the pitch started slowing down quickly.

Honestly. People talk too much about Pakistan choking but India won a massive toss that day.
The pitch deteriorated very quickly and became very tough to bat after a while. Chasing was always gonna be a mountain to climb without the dew.
 
We have developed this annoying trend since 2014 where we start every tournament like a boss, beat every team black and blue on our way to knock outs only to bottle it up in the semi or final. I'd much rather have us start slowly then picking up the pace as the tournament goes on and save our best for the finals. Since 2015 we lost all knock outs to lesser teams.

Started with "that" Yuvraj knock against Sri Lanka in one of the T20 world cup finals.
 
We lost to SL in the group stage of CT 17 and England in the group stage in the World Cup. Definitely not just a knockout issue. We don't have enough quality players to win tournaments . Too reliant on top 3, wrist spinners .

You are right perhaps. I think it's a mix of both. We can't seem to handle the pressure of knock outs since the decline of Dhoni as a batsman. We don't have anyone of Yuvi or Raina's quality either.
 
You are right perhaps. I think it's a mix of both. We can't seem to handle the pressure of knock outs since the decline of Dhoni as a batsman. We don't have anyone of Yuvi or Raina's quality either.

Raina was a gun player so underrated never got his deserved credit he won India so many games in crunch situations
 
You are right perhaps. I think it's a mix of both. We can't seem to handle the pressure of knock outs since the decline of Dhoni as a batsman. We don't have anyone of Yuvi or Raina's quality either.

There are players with potential I guess to fill that void but they have not improved to the point that we can expect them to do finishing even with reasonable consistency. And anyway it's not finishers. Our lineup ends at 3 these days and it's shocking how no one bothers to address this. Too many past it cricketers like Rayudu ,DK, Jadhav were all being invested in for nothing. This bloke Shreyas iyer came in and played superbly and they didn't give him a proper run. Oldies and bits n pieces players can't be hidden when push comes to shove.
 
Raina was a gun player so underrated never got his deserved credit he won India so many games in crunch situations

What even more impressive is that despite the whole world knowing about his short ball phobia and trying to exploit this every single time he came onto bat, he still found a way to survive, score runs and win matches.
 
There are players with potential I guess to fill that void but they have not improved to the point that we can expect them to do finishing even with reasonable consistency. And anyway it's not finishers. Our lineup ends at 3 these days and it's shocking how no one bothers to address this. Too many past it cricketers like Rayudu ,DK, Jadhav were all being invested in for nothing. This bloke Shreyas iyer came in and played superbly and they didn't give him a proper run. Oldies and bits n pieces players can't be hidden when push comes to shove.

I was flabbergasted how they low key just kicked Iyer out of the team after the SA series for some mediocre has beens who talent wise were not half as bright as him.
 
I was flabbergasted how they low key just kicked Iyer out of the team after the SA series for some mediocre has beens who talent wise were not half as bright as him.

He did fail in that particular series but everyone failed apart from kohli and then iyer was dumped unceremoniously after that. We ended up with a squad for CWC 2019 with 3 keepers and 3 spinners for a World Cup in England!! Deserved to lose after such shambolic planning and selections. Just look at that XI that England finally settled into . From Roy to Archer , every player was contributing and they were quality in batting, bowling and fielding. We need to build a team like that before we can dream of winning another tournament.
 
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