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The year 2024 could be described as bittersweet for Indian cricket. The Rohit Sharma-led men’s team did win the T20 World Cup in June to end an 11-year wait for an ICC trophy. The same team, however, would go on to suffer a humiliating 0-3 Test whitewash at the hands of New Zealand at home four months later. The women’s team not only lost the final of the Asia Cup, a tournament they had bossed since its inception two decades ago, against hosts Sri Lanka, they also failed to reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in the UAE.
The Indian U-19 and ‘A’ teams hardly fared any better this year, the former suffering their latest heartbreak with a 59-run defeat at the hands of Bangladesh in the Youth Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday. What made things worse for Indian cricket fans was the fact that the defeat came on the very same day in which the men’s team lost the pink-ball Test against Australia by 10 wickets and the women’s team suffered a 122-run loss to surrender a three-match ODI series with a game to spare.
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The Mohamed Amaan-led side began the tournament with a 43-run loss against arch-rivals Pakistan, also failing to chase down a target in that game although in that case, they had been set 282 to win instead of a sub-200 target. The ‘Colts in Blue’, however, would fight back in their remaining group fixtures, thrashing Japan and UAE by 211 runs and 10 wickets respectively to finish with the best Net Run Rate in Group A even if they finished second. The Indians would then appear strong favourites for the title after chasing down a target of 174 set by Sri Lanka with seven wickets and more than half of their overs to spare.
As had been the fate of the senior men’s and women’s teams between 2013 and 2024, the Indian U-19 team failed to deliver when it came to the match that mattered the most. The Amaan-led side appeared to have the upper hand after bowling the Bangladeshis out for 198, only for their batting order to crumble like a house of cards from the very outset of the chase. Azizul Hakim (3/8) and Iqbal Hossain Emon (3/24) grabbed three wickets each as Bangladesh bowled India out for 139 in a performance that brought back memories of their victory against the same team in the final of the 2020 U-19 World Cup in Potchefstroom.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐭 💪
Bangladesh U19 have clinched the title with a 5️⃣9️⃣ run victory over India U19. Defending 198, the bowlers brought their A-game, dismantling India’s batting lineup, powering the Tigers to a memorable win! 🇧🇩#ACC #ACCMensU19AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/pt3ZGXEpvt
The worst part about this defeat was that it wasn’t even the biggest heartbreak of the year for the Indian U-19 team. The Uday Saharan-led team had stormed through the World Cup in January and February winning all of their matches, thrashing New Zealand by 214 runs along the way. As was the case with Amaan and Co on Sunday, the Indians failed to fire in the match that mattered the most, suffering a 79-run defeat against Australia in the final that would have reopened the wounds of the ODI World Cup heartbreak in November for many an Indian cricket fan.
Australia have done it again!
They win their third straight final against India, having won the #WTC23 and #CWC23 last year 🏆
Match Highlights 🎥 #U19WorldCup pic.twitter.com/whcSzAEK3G
And the heartbreak isn’t limited to the India U-19 side either. The India A team led by Tilak Varma were also considered among the favourites in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup in October, where they began their campaign with a thrilling victory over arch-rivals Pakistan followed by wins against UAE and hosts Oman. The Indians, however, ran into a spirited Afghanistan in the semi-finals and ended up getting out-batted by the team that would go on to defeat Sri Lanka in the final and win their maiden title.
As for unofficial Tests, India A had a mixed run this year – they won two out of three matches against England Lions ahead of the five-match Test series between the corresponding senior teams, but were outplayed 0-2 by Australia A in Mackay and Melbourne ahead of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India had built quite a strong U-19 and ‘A’ system in recent years, especially when Rahul Dravid had served as coach for both teams, which led to the senior team getting a steady supply of quality talent and the youth team reaching five consecutive World Cup finals, and emerging triumphant on two of those occasions.
With the next U-19 World Cup more than a year away, the focus will now be on rebuilding the side by scouting and trying out new talent. Here’s hoping the next batch is able to go the full distance after the heartbreaks of 2024.
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