New Delhi: The year gone by was a mixed one for the Indian men’s cricket team, marked by some unprecedented highs and dramatic lows. The Men in Blue were at their unpredictable best as they witnessed a fair share of success and failure. While the T20 World Cup triumph marked an end to an over a decade-long wait for an ICC title, India’s humiliating Test series defeat against New Zealand ended their long-standing dominance at home.
India started the year on an emphatic note with a thumping victory against South Africa in the Cape Town Test to salvage a 1-1 draw in the Test series before beginning their preparations for the T20 World Cup. Despite multiple questions over the team’s combination and forms of some of the big names, India enjoyed a memorable run to lift the elusive trophy in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the US and the Caribbean.
India’s dominance in T20Is continued following their historic World Cup victory but their ODI series loss in Sri Lanka and the whitewash at the hands of New Zealand in the three-match Test series at home exposed the chinks in India’s armour. While every series brought an opportunity for the Men in Blue to assert their mettle, the blend of highs and lows defined an eventful year for the reigning T20 world champions.
The highs witnessed by Team India in 2024
T20 World Cup 2024 triumph
India clinched glory at the T20 World Cup 2024 in what was arguably the team’s biggest triumph in the year gone by. After several near misses over the last decade, Rohit Sharma & Co. finally ended the country’s wait for a major ICC title and a World Cup trophy by clinching a nail-biter against South Africa in the final at Barbados.
Not many backed India to emerge on top in the final with South Africa in cruise control with only 30 needed off 30 in the final and David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen out in the middle. However, some sensational bowling efforts from Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya tilted the game in India’s favour as the Men in Blue went on to win the game by 7 runs.
Suryakumar Yadav’s superman-esque catch on the boundary line sent David Miller packing in the nail-biting final over as South Africa choked again on the big stage. India’s T20 World Cup triumph marked the retirement of the likes of skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, bringing close to an era in Indian cricket.
India scripted history by becoming the first team to win the T20 World Cup title unbeaten as they didn’t lose a single game on their way to lifting the elusive title.
Stunning victory against Bangladesh in Kanpur Test
A Test result against Bangladesh would be considered routine for India at any given point, but their 7-wicket win against the visitors in the 2nd Test at Kanpur earlier this year was anything but normal. India defied the weather and time to set up a sensational victory despite losing two entire days of play due to rain and a wet outfield.
Only 35 overs of action was possible on the first three days of the Test match, but Rohit Sharma-led India played an aggressive brand of cricket to force a result in the Test match which many thought would end up being a dead rubber. After Rohit Sharma set the tone with the bat, terrific knocks from Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli saw India break the record for the fastest 50, 100, 150 and 200 team total in their first innings of the Test match.
In the second innings, India continued their rampaging run with the bat as a cracking fifty from Jaiswal and an unbeaten cameo from Kohli saw them chase down the target of 98 runs comfortably to pull off an unlikely victory in the Test match.
India’s highest T20I total
The reigning world champions continued their dominance in T20Is after lifting the World Cup trophy as they mauled Bangladesh at home. India scripted history in the 3rd T20I against Bangladesh in Hyderabad by posting their highest-ever total in T20Is. The Men in Blue rode on a cracking ton from Sanju Samson and sensational knocks from skipper Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Riyan Parag to post a mammoth 297/3 on the board in 20 overs.
It was India’s highest-ever total in T20Is and the highest by a Test-playing nation in the format at the time. It was bettered by Zimbabwe, who hammered 344/4 against Gambia in a T20I in October this year. India’s 297 remains the third-highest total by any team in T20Is, behind only Nepal’s 314 and Zimbabwe’s 344.
History in Perth
Jasprit Bumrah-led India thrashed Australia by 295 runs in the 1st Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 to go 1-0 up and script history in Perth. The win marked their biggest victory in terms of runs in a Test match in Australia, surpassing their previous best – a 222-run victory in a Test match in Melbourne in 1977.
In the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah led India in the series opener and led from the front with the ball to inspire them to a famous victory. It was India’s only second victory in Perth since their memorable victory at the WACA in 2008. It also marked India’s first Test win at the Optus Stadium and gave them a dream start in the five-match series.
The lows witnessed by Team India in 2024
ODI series defeat in Sri Lanka
India hit a new low after suffering a 2-0 whitewash in the ODI series against Sri Lanka in head coach Gautam Gambhir’s first major assignment after his appointment. While India won the T20I series 3-0 in Sri Lanka, they endured a disappointing whitewash in the ODIs. After the first game was washed out due to rain, Sri Lanka defeated India by 32 runs in the 2nd ODI before registering a thumping 1110-run victory in the 2nd ODI to clinch the series 2-0.
It was a disappointing low for Team India as they suffered their first ODI series defeat against Sri Lanka since 1997. It also marked head coach Gambhir’s first series defeat in charge of the Indian team.
Test series defeat against New Zealand at home
India hit one of their biggest lows in their Test history after a disastrous 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand in a three-match Test series at home. India started the home series as the overwhelming favourites but were soon handed a reality check with an embarrassing 8-wicket defeat in the series opener in Bengaluru after being bundled out for a paltry 46 in their first innings, their lowest innings total in a Test match at home.
Mitchell Santner spun a web around the hosts in the 2nd Test in Pune as the hosts suffered a crushing 113-run defeat to go 2-0 down and lose the series. But the worst was yet to come as New Zealand hit the final nail in the coffin by beating India by 25 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to complete a 3-0 whitewash against Rohit Sharma’s men.
The 3-0 whitewash not only marked India’s first Test series loss against New Zealand at home but it also ended their 18-series unbeaten streak at home. The series defeat ended India’s long-standing dominance at home, exposing the frailties in their batting line-up and the batters’ struggles against spin in Indian conditions. The defeat also dented India’s chances of qualifying for a third straight World Test Championship (WTC) final.
It was a rollercoaster 2024 for the Indian men’s cricket team as the Men in Blue witnessed a fair share of highs and lows. From their memorable T20 World Cup triumph to a humilaiting 0-3 whitewash in a Test series at home against New Zealand, here is a look at the peaks and valleys witnessed by Team India in what was an eventful year. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
