With the Indian Premier League (IPL) coming to an end, Indian cricketers are set to change gears and begin preparations for the 2024 T20 World Cup. With Rohit Sharma leading the team, the Indian team hopes to go all the way in the landmark event, unlike last year’s ODI World Cup, where a defeat in the final against Australia ended the big dream. Although team India has star power in all departments of the game, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has urged the team to play as a unit, putting ‘we’ in front of ‘I’.
In a chat on Star Sports, Harbhajan Singh recalled how the senior players rallied around MS Dhoni during the ICC World T20 in 2007, giving him ample support and guidance to succeed as a unit.
“Not many people know, Dhoni was a very young captain, so he needed support from all of us. Before games against teams like Australia, New Zealand and England, our core group would meet during the game to strategize for the next few overs. For example, in a match against Australia, I bowled the crucial 17th or 18th over because if we could give just 4 runs, that would save us a lot,” Harbhajan said.
“Back then, batsmen didn’t score 25 runs in an over unlike today. Decision-making has always been a team effort. When you play together as a united team, you win more competitions. Dhoni was a great listener, making decisions This benefited the team. It was never about individual performances, but about playing as ‘us'”, he added.
Harbhajan asked if the Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, could do something similar and achieve collective success.
“Similarly, the question now is: can Rohit Sharma do this? Rohit is not alone; it is about ‘us’. If we play as a united team, thinking about collective success rather than individual achievements, then we can win But if we focus only on personal goals, things get difficult. It’s all about the ‘we’ mentality, and that’s when things come to life,” said Bhajji.
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