India captain Rohit Sharma on Monday addressed reporters on the eve of the first Test against South Africa at Centurion.
While talking about the upcoming 2-Test series, Rohit was also asked about how desperate the Indian team is to win the T20 World Cup next year after his side fell one step short of lifting the 50-over ICC World Cup at home last month.
India's wait for ICC title continues
It has been 10 long years and counting since India last won a ICC title which came under captain MS Dhoni at the 2013 Champions Trophy in England.
India has since been knocked out in the knockout stage of every ICC tournament they have played, with the 2023 World Cup final being the farthest they have reached in this quest.
Players getting 'desperate'
The next T20 World Cup will be played in June and all the players in the team are desperate to end the title drought in that tournament.
"Itna mehnat kiya kuch to chahiye hum log ko. Kuch bada humko chahiye aur saare log desperate hai uss cheez ke liye (We have worked so hard, we want something to show for it. We want to win something significant and everybody is desperate for it)," Rohit told reporters at the SuperSport Park.
India have not won a Test series in South Africa in the 31 years that they have been coming to the rainbow nation. Ending that streak would be a major achievement in Rohit's career as the captain but he said that it still "won't compensate for the World Cup loss".
"We've never won a Test series in South Africa, if we win the series, I don't know if it can compensate for the World Cup loss. World Cup is a World Cup, we can't compare," the 36-year-old added.
