T20 World Cup 2024: 'That's lacking in Indian dressing room' - Virender Sehwag issues 'mindset' warning to Rohit Sharma & Co.

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag issued a warning to Team India ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. He believes that the team is lacking a fearless approach in knockouts and they need to change that before the next ICC tournament.

The India team is all set to ply their trade in another ICC event. They will be featuring in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which will be played in June this year in the United States of America and the Caribbean. It'll be a great shot for the team to end their title drought.

India since winning the 2013 Champions Trophy has failed to win an ICC tournament. They have come very close on all the occasions but have struggled to get past the knockout stage. The most recent heartbreak that is etched in the hearts of Indian fans is the ICC World Cup 2023, which was played in India.

The Rohit Sharma-led side played like champions throughout the entire tournament but succumbed to pressure in the final. They won all the league games along with the semi-final, winning 10 games on the trot but suffered a heart-wrenching defeat against Australia in the final.

However, with the T20 World Cup 2024 less than one month away from now, the Rohit Sharma-led would be hoping to take revenge and give their fans everything to cheer about. They have named a pretty balanced team as well this time around along with experience, they have youth fire-power as well. 

Virender Sehwag while talking about T20 World Cup 2024 pointed out how India succumbed to pressure in the final of the World Cup 2023. He highlighted that during his playing days, ahead of the World Cup 2011, they treated every game as a knockout which helped them to prepare. Speaking in a video, he explained: 

"If I look back the last ODI World Cup final that we lost to Australia, nobody played fearless cricket between the 11th and the 40th over; we hit only one or two fours.

"I can give my example. When I was part of the team, from 2007-08 to the 2011 (ODI) World Cup, we used to treat every match as a knockout match, a World Cup semifinal; if we lose, we are out (of the tournament). So from 2007-08 to 2011, we won a lot of tournaments and prepared for the World Cup."

You play fearlessly, with bravery, play with some risk - Virender Sehwag on India's approach 

Virender Sehwag further urged India to develop a fearless attitude and added that they need to go into knockout games and play risk-free cricket. He believes that the team is lacking that and they need to correct that going into the T20 World Cup 2024. He added: 

"I think that mindset is needed in that (Indian) dressing room when you go into a knockout match, you play fearlessly, with bravery, play with some risk. That, I think is lacking."

India will be opening their campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 against Ireland. The match will be played on the 5th June.