"See the scores in all matches India lost" - Sourav Ganguly says runs are required to win ICC events
Sourav Ganguly has highlighted that Indian batters need to come up with match-winning performances if they hope to win global ICC events.
Australia completed a 209-run thrashing of Rohit Sharma and Co. in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval in London on Sunday (June 11). The defeat extended India's 10-year wait for an ICC title, with their last win coming in the 2013 Champions Trophy.
During a post-match discussion on Star Sports, Ganguly was asked about India faltering once again in a big event, to which he responded:
"You have to come up with match-winning performances, as Steve Smith and Travis Head did, or as MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir did in 2011 - 90s and 100s, you have to get close to that, and then only you will win big finals, as Ricky Ponting did in 2003 - 150."
The former Indian skipper added:
"See the scores in all matches India lost. You need to score runs in big matches, whether it was our time, now or in the future. If you don't score 350-400 runs in one of the innings in Test cricket, you won't be in a situation to win."
Ganguly pointed out that Test matches can predominantly only be won by exerting pressure on the opposition by posting big totals:
"You might win one or two Test matches where you will get green wickets or bad conditions, but that is how a Test match is set up - score runs and then your bowlers will come and pick up wickets."
Travis Head (163) and Steve Smith (121) strung together a 285-run fourth-wicket partnership in Australia's first innings of the WTC final to put India on the back foot.
While Ricky Ponting smashed an unbeaten 140 in the 2003 World Cup final, Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni scored 97 and 91 not out respectively to help India chase down a 275-run target in the 2011 World Cup final.
"Rahul Dravid will have to pay attention to this" - Sourav Ganguly on Indian batters' underwhelming overseas averages
Sourav Ganguly was further asked about the Indian batters' underwhelming overseas averages in the last few years, to which he replied:
"Rahul Dravid will have to pay attention to this on how this can be improved going forward. You cannot beat good teams with an average of 26 or 28. Your top batters need to score runs at an average of 50-70 in a series."
India's batters struggled in both home and away conditions in the 2021-23 WTC cycle. The Indian think-tank might have to revisit their approach of playing on rank turners at home as their batters' poor returns might have left them low on confidence even during overseas tours.