India The New 'Chokers' Of International Cricket?

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After their loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) final to New Zealand on Wednesday, India have now become the new chokers of international cricket, having fallen at the semi-final and final hurdles on multiple occasions over the last seven years in International Cricket Council (ICC) events.

The last decade had begun well and offered hope to India, promising a decade of dominance in which they bagged multiple tournaments. India won the 2011 50-over World Cup and followed it up with the 2013 Champions Trophy.

But since 2014, India have tripped at the final hurdle several times. They lost the 2014 T20 World Cup final to Sri Lanka, the 2015 50-over World Cup to Australia, the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final to West Indies, the 2017 Champions Trophy final to Pakistan, and the 2019 50-over World Cup semi-final to New Zealand.

On Wednesday, the sixth - reserve - day when the WTC final seemed to be heading for a draw, India ended up losing the match and the title. On most occasions - like in 2019 World Cup or the WTC - India have ended as the best of all teams in league standings.

Three of those losses have come under MS Dhoni's captaincy, while the other three - the latter ones - have come under Kohli's leadership. "The WTC final should have ended in a draw," said former India all-rounder Madan Lal, himself a World Cup winner in 1983.

"If you have to win this sort of tournament, one of two players like Kohli or [Rohit] Sharma cannot win. The team has to perform as whole. Being experienced players, I am surprised they have not performed," he added.

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