WTC Final: Hayden makes a burning statement on IND’s ICC title drought

With the sixteenth release of the Indian Premier League (IPL) reaching an end, all streets currently lead to The Oval as Rohit Sharma‘s team India is good to go to make their re-visitation of worldwide cricket for A definitive Test. This week at the Oval, Rohit’s Team India, the newly ranked No. 1 team in red-ball cricket, will play Australia, coached by Pat Cummins, in the ICC World Test Championship final. Team India, who finished second in the previous edition of the ICC World Test Championship, will be eager to end their long-running title drought at ICC events.

When the legendary MS Dhoni was in charge, the two-time world champions last won an ICC trophy. In 2013, the Men in Blue were led to victory in the Champions Trophy by the former India skipper. The Asian giants have not won a single trophy in ICC competitions since then. India were defeated by most outstanding adversaries Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy Final. After that, New Zealand stunned the Men in Blue in the ODI World Cup semi-final. In the past T20 World Cup, India were pounded by possible heroes England in the semi-finals.

What is preventing India from overcoming the final obstacle in ICC competitions? Can Team India defeat Australia to win a major ICC trophy this season? Matthew Hayden, a legendary Australian opener, stated that the team’s absence from ICC competitions is more of a “mindset” problem.

“It’s certainly not a question of skill. So, it has to be a question of just the opportunity and the mindset going in. I mean, cricket is life here, it is the DNA of sport and has no other competitors. In Australia I could walk down the street and largely be unrecognized, especially with this terrible beard and hat on (laughs). But it’s also got great competitive sports besides cricket. Rugby, football, our water sports, surfing, outdoor sports, here in India it’s very insular and there’s a lot of pressure,”

Hayden told PTI.

Hayden’s advice to Team India

The legendary Australian opener is of the opinion that neither team has an advantage going into the final, which is scheduled to take place from June 7 to June 11 at the Oval in London. Hayden also has some interesting advice for Rohit’s Team India ahead of the World Test Championship final, citing the recent success of IPL giants Gujarat Titans (GT), Mumbai Indians (MI), and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

“It’s the same with Pakistan cricket as well. There is one sport and it is cricket so it’s a mindset thing. Being cautious about looking for the scoreboard and looking for the titles and just playing and being a part of the process, something when you look at franchise setups, Gujarat Titans have done really well this year and CSK have done very well. Mumbai Indians as well believe in a certain process. So, that would be my advice to Indian cricket to forget the outcomes, but buy into the process,”

Hayden said.

‘Shubman Gill will be a superstar of any cricket format’

Additionally, the former CSK star made a significant statement regarding Shubman Gill’s rise. After a successful IPL 2023 season, India opener Gill has arrived in London. The Orange Cap winner and IPL Player of the Tournament has also made a name for himself in the Indian lineup across formats by playing a string of stunning knocks for Team India.

“You will see a lot of Shubman Gill for the next 15 years. The foundations behind a good Test cricketer are pretty simple. And Shubman, and KL Rahul before him, fundamentally have fantastic games. So, he’ll be a superstar of any cricket format for a very long time. One of the biggest advantages that Shubman has and he showed this when he was touring Australia is he’s very good off the backfoot as well. So square of wicket play is excellent. And that’ll stand him in good stead even against the best Test sides in the world,”

Hayden added.