"100 centuries has its own place, but India and the Indian cricket board needs to win a title" - Rashid LatifΒ
Former Pakistan Rashid Latif keeper-batter shed light on Team India's grim reality by stating that their silverware drought takes precedence over the number of centuries Virat Kohli has scored in international cricket.
Kohli has seemingly turned his fortunes around by being among the runs again and converting his scores. However, the growing tally of 72 centuries, which eclipses Ricky Ponting's record as well, has had little effect on the team's fortunes in ICC tournaments.
While the Men in Blue have grown massively in stature in terms of talent and potential, the fact of the matter remains that they are yet to win a major tournament since 2013. They have come agonizingly close, but are yet to breach the final barrier, leading to questions posed about the players' mentality among several other things.
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He brings up his 44th ODI ton off 85 deliveries.
He goes past Ricky Ponting to be second on the list in most number of centuries in international cricket.
Live - bit.ly/BANvIND-3RDODI #BANvIND https://t.co/ohSZTEugfD
Opining that Kohli's quest to break Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 100 international centuries is not important to fans when compared to the prospect of winning titles again, Latif said on his YouTube channel:
βIt is not the time to count the number of centuries. It doesn't matter. They need to win a title. It has been years since they won a trophy. Whether Kohli scores 100 centuries or 200, it doesn't matter, what matters to Indian cricket and the fans is a title."
Latif continued:
"If you look financially, IPL and Indian cricket are far ahead, but now there is pressure from the fans and the media that they want a title. Kohli can score 100 centuries if he wants, but the demand has changed.
"The Asia Cup is gone, so is Champions Trophy, the 2019 World Cup, the last two T20 World Cups. 100 centuries has its own place, but India and the Indian cricket board needs to win a title."
Kohli brought up his elusive 44th ODI century after a three-year gap during the third ODI against Bangladesh. While the side recorded a mammoth win on the back of their all-round heroics, they lost the series by a 2-1 margin, casting further questions into the team's vision under the regime of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid.
Team India have been a regular feature in ICC knockouts
Since the famous win in the 2013 Champions Trophy final against England, the Men in Blue have gone on to lose in four semi-finals and three finals across ICC events.
India are the FIRST EVER team to lose the semifinal or final of an ICC event by 10 wickets. #T20WorldCup
Their most recent attempt came in the form of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Despite a largely formidable campaign, Rohit Sharma and co. were blown away by eventual champions England in the semi-final contest in Adelaide.
Will the Men in Blue end their trophy drought soon? Let us know what you think.
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