Harbhajan Singh spoke in detail about India’s campaign at the 2007 T20 World Cup and advised Rohit Sharma on how he can learn from the title win.
Team India will aim to end its 11-year trophy drought when Rohit Sharma’s men kickstart their T20 World Cup campaign in the Americas next month. India last won an ICC title in 2013 in the Champions Trophy, when a Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side defeated hosts England in a rain-curtailed final. Since then, the side had been at the receiving end of multiple knock-out heartbreaks, with the latest coming in the final of the home ODI World Cup last year at the hands of Australia.
India’s captain Rohit Sharma during the ODI World Cup last year(AFP)
As India prepare to put behind the heartbreaks and start afresh at the T20 World Cup, Harbhajan Singh has some advice for Rohit Sharma on how he can learn a thing or two from MS Dhoni to marshal his troops. Dhoni was the first captain ever to win the T20 World Cup title; he led India to the title in the inaugural edition of the marquee tournament in 2007, against all expectations.
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Harbhajan recalled key moments from the campaign and suggested to Rohit how he could incorporate Dhoni’s leadership skills to boost India’s chances at the 2024 tournament, scheduled to take place in the USA and the West Indies.
“Not many people know, Dhoni was a very new captain, so he needed that support from all of us. Before matches against teams like Australia, New Zealand, and England, our core group would get together during the game to strategize for the next few overs. For example, in a match against Australia, I bowled the crucial 17th or 18th overs because if we managed to give away only 4 runs, it saved us a lot,” Harbhajan told Star Sports as he remembered the campaign.
“Back then, batters didn’t score 25 runs in an over unlike today. The decision-making was always a team effort. When you play together as a united team, you win more competitions. Dhoni was a great listener, taking collective decisions that benefited the team. It was never about individual performances but about playing as ‘we’.
“Similarly, the question now is, can Rohit Sharma do it? Rohit is not alone; it’s about ‘we’. If we play as a united team, thinking about collective success rather than individual achievements, then we can win. But if we only focus on personal goals, things become difficult. It’s all about the ‘we’ mentality, and that’s when things come to life.”
India will begin their campaign in the T20 World Cup on June 5 when the side takes on Ireland.
India to face Pakistan
India and Pakistan are grouped together in the opening stage of the marquee tournament and will clash on June 8 in New York. Both sides are expected to proceed to the Super 8s, with the other three sides in their group being Ireland, hosts United States, and Canada.
The BCCI announced India’s 15-member squad for the tournament last month, with Hardik Pandya being named Rohit’s deputy.
