Are India The Biggest Chokers In World Cricket?: Following India’s World Cup 2023 final loss against Australia, many fans and experts have naturally been saying that the Indian cricket team might be the biggest chokers in world cricket.
Now in a decade-long dry run as far as international trophies are concerned, the Indian team might just have taken the ‘choker’ badge from South Africa. Let’s look into it.
Since winning the Champions Trophy in 2013, India has lost the final of the 2014 T20 World Cup, lost in the semi-final of the 2015 ODI World Cup, was defeated by West Indies in the 2016 T20 World Cup semis, was demolished by Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy Final, fumbled in the 2019 ODI World Cup semis to New Zealand, lost the 2021 and 2023 World Test Championship Finals, was knocked out in the semis of the 2022 T20 World Cup, and lost the 2023 World Cup final to Australia.
Check Out: India’s World Cup Losses In The Last Decade
Are India The Biggest Chokers In World Cricket?
Despite being one of the best teams in the world across all formats for the past decades, India has failed to win any ICC trophies in that time being, despite coming close to winning on almost every occasion. But to call the Men in Blue ‘chokers’, we must look at how South Africa received that crown.
In the 1992 World Cup semi-final, their first ICC tournament, South Africa was screwed over by the rain rule, which took their target from 22 runs off 13 balls, to 22 in 1 ball. In 1999 an in-form Lance Klusner could not score a run off the last ball in the semis, with Allan Donald getting run out and the match being tied, The Aussies advanced to the finals due to better performance in the group stages.
Check Out: Are India The Biggest Chokers In World Cricket?
In 2003, The Proteas tied another match via Duckworth Lewis as Mark Boucher was unsure about the rule. Boucher played a dot ball on the final ball before Rain stopped play. This tied match meant South Africa could not make it to the Super 8. SA has also lost in the 2007 and 2011 quarter-finals (despite arguably being the best team in the world at those points) and the 2015 World Cup semi-final. Also, in the 2022 T20 World Cup, it was a washed-out match to the West Indies and a loss to the Netherlands that prevented them from entering the semis.
So, from what we have seen, all of South Africa’s bad luck in ICC tournaments is not on them, as everything from the weather to a lack of understanding of the rules has prevented them from winning a trophy. But in the case of India, all their bad luck from the past year has come from their own performance.
Check Out: India’s World Cup Losses In The Last Decade
In big matches, it seems that India tends to lose their composure. The 10-wicket loss to England in the 2022 T20 World Cup and their recent loss to Australia make it seem that way.
So, is India the biggest choker in World Cricket? In recent times, absolutely. But this team, or its previous renditions, knows how to win trophies, unlike South Africa. Being the best team in the world, it is not long before India gets back to their World Cup-winning ways.
Check Out:
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