If you’re an Indian cricket team fan, you may forget your anniversary, the day you graduated, heck, even your birthday, but you will never forget the day the Indian men’s cricket team won the T20 World Cup in 2024. June 29, 2024, the day the ICC trophy drought ended for India. Three months down the line, Indian cricket fans will be dreaming of adding another date to the milestone list, adding another moment in sporting history for the nation – Harmanpreet Kaur & Co. will be fighting for the T20 World Cup crown in UAE.
The Indian women’s cricket team has come close several times in ICC tournaments, only to fall agonisingly short, and twice it’s been Australia who thwarted the team and nation’s hopes in the T20 World Cups. In 2020, India entered its first T20 Women’s World Cup final. Chasing Australia’s 185 at the glorious MCG, India fell 99 short. In 2022, that gap reduced significantly as India suffered a 5-run defeat vs their ICC tournament nemesis from Down Under in the semi-final. It was yet another heartbreaking run-out in a semi that sealed India’s fate, as Harman’s bat got caught inches behind the crease. The ‘what could have beens’ weigh heavy but 2024 is a new beginning.
The success of WPL has helped the Indian players hone their T20 skills and has also given birth to new stars such as Shreyanka Patil, Asha Joy, Sajana Sajeevan, and has given a major boost to the likes of Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Smriti Mandhana, herself. The team maybe coming off a shocking Asia Cup final loss but the Amol Muzumdar and staff have laid the foundation for a change in mindset and gear when it comes to T20 cricket.
For India to blast ‘Lehraaa do’ across the country once again at the end of the World Cup, Harmanpreet’s form is key. The world knows she is unstoppable once on song and India needs her to play the best music (read: cricket) of her life, if they are to lift the trophy. In Pooja Vastrakar and Renuka Singh Thakur, India has a pace duo that can rattle stumps, and rattle them early. The ever-reliable Deepti Sharma needs to come good at the crunch moments to ensure India doesn’t repeat its mistake of crumbling at the final hurdle.
Having won the first World Cup warm-up game by 20 runs vs West Indies, the tone’s been set for bigger, better things to come. Can Harman & Co. script history and cap off a brilliant year for the nation in T20 cricket? We’ll find out soon enough!
India squad for the T20 World Cup 2024: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan.
India’s T20 World Cup 2024 Fixtures:
IND v NZ | Oct 5, 12 AM*
IND v PAK | Oct 6, 9 PM
IND v SL | Oct 10, 1 AM
IND v AUS | Oct 14, 1 AM
*all timings in AEST
Credit: Gurnam & Namrta
