Some say 2024 was a dream come true for the Indian Cricket Team, especially for the men, as they dominated their way to clinch the second T20 World Cup Trophy, nearly after a decade and a series of losses. The first was won in 2007 under M.S Dhoni (the inaugural year). However, with several highs come lows too. Thankfully, 2024 was a year more about India’s dominance, rather than heartbreaks.
Even so, let’s take a deeper look at the losses of the Indian cricket team in 2024, from both the men’s and women’s cricket teams.
- India’s Under Performance in the Women’s Asia Cup 2024
The women’s Asia Cup proved to be a tough battle for the Indian women’s cricket team, it was a series of blunders, inconsistent performances, lack of batting depth in the middle overs, and over-reliance on the Captain and Vice Captain. Despite all of this the team entered the finals against Sri Lanka but succumbed to the pressure of the finale.
The team has been heavily relying on the opener cum vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, to go big in the crucial matches. Based on this, Mandhana was the only player to have a strike rate close to 120, in the Women’s Asia Cup 2024. The middle-order players such as Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma have averaged below 20. And the lower middle order had an average of 100 collectively.
Harmanpreet Kaur, the Captain, was another fruitful player in the series. The bowling unit and the fielding need to double the work, especially in managing high-pressure tournaments like this one. Talent alone isn’t cutting it out for the girls on the big stages.
The lack of wickets during the powerplay was another issue that is a major concern for the Women’s Cricket team, India managed to clip only 4 wickets in the first 6 overs. This has often given the opposition leverage to build strong foundations. Indian Women’s Cricket team has often thrived in their spin department, but the Asia Cup 2024 saw a major downfall in this department too. Here’s to hoping that the girls make a stronger comeback in the upcoming ODI World Cup in 2025, as India is going to host the tournament.
- Men’s Team Losing the Test Series to New Zealand by 3-0 at home.
As we’re all aware, the dominance that the Indian Men’s team created at home, was unmatchable. They outplayed every team that toured India for the tests. The likes of Australia, England, and South Africa, came close but the Indian cricket team in 2024 always had an edge to win the home games. But this was a different story altogether.
The Indian cricket team in 2024 was whitewashed by the Kiwis, in their backyard. New Zealand toured India from the 16th of October 2024 to 5th of November 2024. Starting the 3-match series on a batting pitch – the M. Chinnaswamay Stadium, Bengaluru, the Black Cap’s just outplayed India in all areas of the game. Although the Indian team made many comebacks during the series and had some remarkable performances they couldn’t cross the line. They didn’t even allow the men’s team to come close to victories. It was all New Zealand.
Some remarkable performances came in by the youngsters of the team. Such as Sarfraz Khan (150, 2nd innings of the first test), Yashasvi Jaiswal (77, 2nd innings of the second test), Washington Sundar (7/59, 1st innings of the second test). Apart from this, the Indian cricket team’s seniors failed to make their marks.
This series was a wake-up call for the Men’s cricket team to refresh their home strategies and gameplay if they want to be the front runners for the World Test Championship. Let’s hope that the men’s team makes a stronger comeback in WTC as well as in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
- A Semi-Final Exit from the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
India’s disappointing exit from the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 culminated in a heartbreaking semifinal loss against Australia. The match unfolded in a familiar manner, where the team struggled in crucial ICC knockout encounters. Despite notable individual performances, pivotal moments slipped away from India, allowing Australia to seize control.
India endured a defeat by 9 runs, falling short of chasing down a target of 176 runs. Harmanpreet Kaur, displayed resilience with a remarkable 67 off 38 balls, showcasing one of the most spirited innings of the tournament. Renuka Singh shone with the ball, securing figures of 2/26. However, India’s bowling unit as a whole struggled in the closing stages, enabling Australia to post a challenging total of 175/5.
Indian Women’s Cricket team faced main challenges in the death overs. Australia capitalized on India’s inefficiencies in the final phase, accumulating 48 runs in the last four overs. The Indian bowlers lacked composure under pressure, allowing Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath to accelerate the scoring rate. Overdependence on Key Players like Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana emerged as the mainstays of the batting lineup, contributing over 60% of the team’s runs throughout the tournament.
However, the middle order, including Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh, failed to consistently deliver. Collapses post-Harmanpreet’s dismissal marked a turning point, as India lost 4 wickets for 20 runs in the final three overs. India’s performance fluctuated throughout the tournament. While their bowling excelled in the group stage, they encountered difficulties in defending totals or constraining runs against formidable opponents like Australia.
This defeat emphasizes the following areas of improvement for India’s team. Enhance strategies for the death overs, especially against aggressive opponents like Australia. Strengthen the middle order to reduce reliance on a few key players. Prioritize mental toughness to excel in knockout scenarios. Elevate fielding standards to capitalize on crucial opportunities consistently the exit from the tournament signifies a setback, but it also presents valuable lessons for the Indian women’s cricket team as they prepare for upcoming events like the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and the 2025 ODI Women’s World Cup.
Indian Cricket Team’s Set to Make Comeback in the 2025 Season
No matter what losses the Indian Cricket Team, both men and women endured, the lessons have clearly been marked. As we move forward with upcoming tournaments and test series, we are sure that both the men’s and women’s cricket teams are working hard in the nets, to meet the standard they have created in the world of cricket. With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the men and the ODI Bilateral series against Australia for the women, many records are set to be broken and many new ones to be created.
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