On 29th June, once again the Indian team will enter the field with the dream of capturing the ICC trophy. This time the match is against the South African team. In the Bridgetown ground, India will compete against a team that has reached the finals of an ICC tournament for the first time. The South African team has made it to the semi-finals of the ICC tournament seven times but has missed the finals every time. On the other hand, the Indian team has the title win of the 1983 World Cup. Apart from this, the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup are also in India's possession.

By the way, it is also worth noting that the South African team is a more experienced team than India. Very few people know that South Africa got the Test status before the Indian team.

Well, let's get back to our topic today. What Australia, England or any other big team is not doing at present, Team India is continuously doing that. India is the only team to play in both the finals of the World Test Championship. In the 2023 World Cup, the Indian team reaches the final without losing a single match. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Indian team reaches the final without losing a single match.

That is, from the shortest format of cricket, T20, to the biggest and so-called 'pure' Test format, Team India's dominance is of a different kind.

Reaching the finals is not easy

Many cricket fans say - what is the use of reaching the final when another team wins the trophy. Statistics support their statement. In the cycle from 2019 to 2021, the Indian team lost to New Zealand in the final of the World Test Championship. After this, Australia defeated India in the final of the cycle from 2021 to 2023. In the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, the Indian team also had to face defeat against Australia.

But look at the other side of the picture. Did the Australian team play both the finals of the World Test Championship? Did Australia play the final of the T20 World Cup? You can ask exactly the same question about teams like England and New Zealand. The answer to all these is 'no'.

It is important to understand that no team in the world can reach the finals again and again without playing well. Take the last T20 World Cup for example. Pakistan's team reached the finals even after losing the opening match, but after that everyone saw what happened to Pakistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup or the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Cricket fans also have to understand that every match cannot be won on the basis of 'individual brilliance' i.e. the ability of a single player. Travis Head scores runs in the World Test Championship or World Cup, but if he does not score runs in the T20 World Cup, his team is out of the tournament. On the contrary, the Indian team has reached the finals and Virat Kohli's bat is still silent. But this did not make much difference because the rest of the players are in their element. They are playing their roles properly. That is why the Indian team is playing finals continuously.

What did Rohit do as captain?

Till a few years ago, the picture was such that before any big tournament, Indian fans used to feel that their team would definitely reach the semi-finals. Now this confidence has increased further under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. Now it seems that the Indian team will definitely reach the final. As a captain, Rohit Sharma gave this confidence to the Indian cricket fans. Before this confidence given to the fans, the confidence he has given to the fellow players is different. Today, the players of the Indian team are not afraid of defeat. Defeat definitely hurts them but the fear of defeat does not haunt them. Rishabh Pant is a big example. Till two months before the T20 World Cup, many names like Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Jitesh Sharma, KL Rahul were in discussion as wicketkeepers. But as soon as Rishabh Pant returned to the IPL, Rohit made up his mind as a captain that he has to go with Pant only.

This thought could have crossed Rohit's mind that Pant has returned after a long rehab, there is a difference between franchise cricket and international cricket, will Pant be able to regain the credibility he had earned in international cricket? But no such thought crossed Rohit's mind. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Pant. The way he showed faith in Pant, it did not seem that Pant was playing international cricket after more than a year. Rohit Sharma was emotional after defeating England in the semi-finals. Everyone saw those pictures. Virat Kohli was standing near him and explaining something to him. Obviously, he must have been giving him some positive advice. Both have played almost their entire cricket together. Both will have the same question in their minds - how to win the trophy after performing so brilliantly and reaching the finals? Certainly, luck is also necessary.