Indian Men’s Cricket WC 2024: Redemption or Reliving Past Burns

Heartache is probably the only word that depicts the run of the Indian Men’s Cricket Team in ICC events. Those who’ve felt the tingling in their nerves, match after match, hoping for that one moment of their home team lifting the prestigious trophy would know it all. Those who are unaware, beware; the Indian men’s cricket team is neither weak nor undisciplined. 

Rohit-Kohli and Co. are the most consistent team in ICC tournaments to reach finals/semi-finals. It is these deciding matches where we, as fans, are left broken with a diminishing hope of better luck next time. 

The journey from the 2019 World Cup to the 2023 World Cup has been nothing short of an inspiring tragedy. 

Every time the ICC World Cup comes around, Indian Men’s Cricket Team Enthusiasts are like,

The heartbreaks that silenced the complete sea of blue broke the dreams of cricket enthusiasts throughout the ICC tournaments. 

Indian Team’s Journey To The ICC Tournaments – 2019 to 2023 

We won the Last Cricket World Cup in 2011 under the captaincy of the Man, Myth, and Legend, MS Dhoni. A quick review of all the touch-and-go losses so far in ICC tournaments. 

Indian Men’s Cricket WC 2019 

Virat Kohli donned the captain’s cap in the 2019 WC Campaign as India set out with blazing intent, winning matches on the trot. From Boom-Boom Bumrah’s unbelievable spells to Sharma ji ka beta—Rohit Sharma hitting back-to-back hundreds—India showed sheer dominance. 

All was on the path until the chase game against New Zealand began. India had to chase down 337 runs within 50 overs to reach the finals. The match seemed to tilt completely in favour of New Zealand as India went 3 down within the first 30 minutes of the run-chase. 

Me watching Indian batsmen fall at single-digit scores within a span of few overs

However, India’s hopes soared as Ms Dhoni and Jadeja’s partnership ignited joy in millions.

The chase seemed stable and calculative, with India returning to the game until… 

India never recovered after that, breaking the hopes, wishes, and dreams of billions of fans. It was also the last international appearance of the legendary MS Dhoni. 

One aspect that was rightly criticised publically was the weak spot of No. 4 in the tournament. It was held by surprise entry Vijay Shankar, better suited than Ambati Raidu, who had considerable experience in the position with the same team. 

ICC World Test Championship 2021 

After barely recovering from the long-grieved loss of the 2019 World Cup, the Indian men’s cricket team was yet again put to task to prove their mantle in the red ball format. The nemesis, New Zealand, yet again proved to have the upper hand as they chased down an easy target of 139 on the reserve day of the match. India did just enough in their first inning to score a slightly below-par total. The bowling efforts were balanced out, as both teams stood equally in favour on Day 4 of the test match. 

However, it was the second innings where India lost the wickets without any significant partnership.

Eventually, New Zealand defeated India with 8 wickets to spare. Thus, another heartbreak was added to the woes of Indian cricket enthusiasts.

Indian Men’s Cricket T20 WC 2022 

Once again, the T20 World Cup raised Indian fans’ hopes to see the trophy reach the Indian dressing room. The new captain, Rohit Sharma, faced a stiff challenge as India was left without the services of pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja owing to injuries. However, the plot was lost by India due to their cautious approach—a repetitive weakness that has haunted the Indian team since the 2019 World Cup. Further, the Indian bowling didn’t help much, as they had a pretty average day with their lines and lengths. 

As a result, the Indian team suffered a thumping defeat in the semi-finals against England. We, as fans, are unable to watch India vs. Pakistan, the greatest rivalry in the final at Australia.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the universe, after India lost the cricket match against England, Ye Bhi Theek hai.

ICC World Test Championship 2023 

The losses for India had been piling up at ICC events, and amongst these came another event to ensure an end to the string of losses in knockouts. Winning the toss against Australia, India’s captain Rohit chose to bowl, looking at the pitch conditions. However, after a series of inconsistent lines and lengths, Indian bowlers reduced Australia to 3 wickets down before even reaching the three-figure mark. Beyond this, the Indian team again lost the plot completely. It was all and nothing for India, as India again suffered from batting flaws and wavering bowling lines. 

The Indian team lost yet another title that was so near yet so far. This was the second WTC final lost by India. 

Indian Men’s Cricket ODI WC 2023 

The worst defeat comes when you lose at a place where you are in complete dominance and suddenly the tables turn. India got it all right, winning all the league matches of the tournament and going undefeated into the finals. Despite the best efforts from every batter and bowling unit, India faced defeat for the umpteenth time. 

The defeat’s silence was more deafening than the noise by Australian fans, as the Indian team’s defeat shattered the last remaining traces of hope for Indian cricket fans. 

Indian Men’s Cricket T20 CWC 2024 

With less than 6 months to go, the 2024 T20 CWC is yet another chance for Rohit & Co. to put their foot down on bringing home the much-deserved ICC Trophy. The team is far from finalised yet, with the IPL playing a crucial role in putting the final names on paper. However, there have been several results from promising youngsters in international assignments so far. Anticipations of playing XI have begun with IPL 2024 as the last potential tournament to test out the T20 skills of cricketers for the 2024 T20 World Cup. 

Who do you think is going to make the cut to the World Cup playing XI squad? Will Rishabh Pant get a straightaway ticket to the team, or are some surprise inclusions in line for the T20 CWC 2024? Will it be the final nail in the coffin for the worst for the Indian cricket team and fans, or will it be the much-needed closure win? 

Whatever is in store, we Indian fans are always prepared with a Yeh Bhi Theek Hai attitude to face the end results. Let us know about your views of the Indian team winning the T20 2024 Cricket World Cup in the comments. 

We also follow the Indian women’s team cricket journey thoroughly. Do let us know if you would like to know about the past heartbreaks for the Indian women’s cricket team as they brace for their T20 CWC 2024.