India's ICC Struggles: Misbah Highlights Pressure Handling Issues

India's struggles in major ICC tournaments have been a persistent issue, and former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq believes the team lacks the ability to finish strong in the latter stages. Despite possessing a "skillful" team with a "powerful bowling lineup," India has failed to win an ICC title since the 2013 Champions Trophy.

In the 2023 ODI World Cup, India remained undefeated until losing to Australia in the final. They also missed out on the World Test Championship title twice in three years. In the last T20 World Cup, they were defeated by England in the semifinals.

Misbah praised India's current pace attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami, as well as the overall quality of Indian cricket. However, he highlighted that India's inability to handle pressure in ICC knockout matches has been a major factor in their recent failures.

"Teams like Pakistan, India, and other Asian teams face immense pressure from their huge populations and high expectations," Misbah said. "This pressure can affect performance significantly. It's something India has struggled with in the last few mega events, where they haven't been able to finish strong."

Misbah believes that India needs to find ways to cope with pressure in ICC knockout matches. "For Australia, this isn't as big of an issue, but for Pakistan and India, playing under such intense pressure is a major challenge," he added. "It's interesting to see how these teams will manage it in the future. India, especially, will need to find ways to overcome this mounting pressure if they want to succeed in upcoming events."

Regarding Mohammad Amir's inclusion in Pakistan's T20 World Cup squad, Misbah said, "We will definitely see a difference in Mohammad Amir from the one we witnessed previously. He may have less pace and swing, but he now has more experience."

India will face Pakistan in their second T20 World Cup match in New York on June 9 after playing Ireland in the opening game on June 5.

Tags: #India, #ICC, #T20WorldCup, #MisbahulHaq, #PressureHandling