3 things India's 2023 World Cup squad can learn from T20 World Cup 2007 success
It's been 16 years to the day when Team India created history by beating Pakistan and winning the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007. A young side with MS Dhoni at the helm had gone on to achieve glory against the odds as not many gave them a chance in a format that was relatively new at the international level.
India did face some challenges along the way, but they just seemed to have the answer for everything. With the Men in Blue going into the 2023 World Cup this year with a hope to win, there are certainly some factors they can take inspiration from the triumphant team of 2007.
On that note, let's take a look at three such learnings:
#3 MS Dhoni's captaincy
Arguably the most fascinating outcome that the Indian team got from the 2007 T20 World World Cup was the way MS Dhoni captained under pressure. The then 26-year-old showed that he had the capability to make some out-of-the-box decisions when the game was on the line.
Current captain Rohit Sharma was a part of that team and will certainly have a thing or two to take from Dhoni when it comes to captaincy under pressure. The role of the leadership group will also be crucial, especially in crunch moments.
#2 Keeping the pressure up with wickets
One thing India did really well during the T20 World Cup 2007 was picking up wickets at regular intervals. It is obvious that wickets are important in T20 cricket, and the same applies to one-day cricket.
The Men in Blue had the likes of RP Singh, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, and others who could pick wickets across phases and ensure that once they got in a strong position, they didn't let the batters get away with a partnership.
The same was seen when their bowlers knocked South Africa out of the tournament and also bowled out Pakistan to win the title. The current Indian team also have some genuine wicket-takers and will look to emulate that during the World Cup.
#1 Be fearless with the bat in crunch moments
There's a reason Yuvraj Singh's sensational knock of 70 against Australia in the semifinals is considered one of the best T20 knocks played by an Indian. He came in a situation where the Men in Blue needed a move on and picked the bones out of the Australian bowlers.
This is something Indian batters have lacked over the past ten years when it comes to knockout games. Gautam Gambhir's 75 in the final is also something they can take inspiration from as to why is it important to express themselves in a big game.
If the Men in Blue can somehow manage to play fearlessly, that could be the one thing that unlocks the ICC Trophy jinx and helps them win the 2023 World Cup