'If I would've been part of Virat Kohli-led India, we would have won 3 World Cups': Ex-India cricketer's bold statement
Despite the success Virat Kohli got as Test captain, one of his biggest regrets as a skipper has been missing out on the ICC trophy
Earlier this year, Virat Kohli ended his tenure as one of India's most successful captain across formats. His most important contribution as a leader has come in Test cricket where he has taken the Indian team to the top position in ICC rankings and has dominated the format both at home and away while giving world cricket one of the finest pace attacks of all time. However, one of his biggest regrets as a captain has been missing out on the ICC trophy. And former India cricketer Sreesanth made a very bold statement on the same.
Taking over the reigns from India legend MS Dhoni in 2017, Kohli led India in three ICC tournaments - the 2017 Champions Trophy, 2019 ODI World Cup and the 2021 T20 World Cup.
The Men in Blue were thrashed by arch-nemesis Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final. In the 2019 World Cup, they fell short by 18 runs in the semi-final against New Zealand. And, in the 2021 T20 World Cup, India suffered a heartbreaking group-stage exit as Kohli's T20I captaincy ended on a forgettable note.
However, in a recent interview with CricChat on the ShareChat Audio Chatroom, Sreesanth opined that had he been part of the Indian team under Kohli, the Men in Blue would have three World Cups to boast of.
"If I would have been a part of the team under Virat’s captaincy, India would have won the World Cup in 2015, 2019 & 2021," he said. However, it wasn't Kohli, but Dhoni who was the skipper of the 2015 World Cup side.
Sreesanth, who drew curtains on his career earlier this year after appearing in 27 Tests, 53 ODIs and 10 T20Is for India, was part of the 2011 ODI World Cup-winning team. "We won that World Cup for Sachin Tendulkar," he added.