2024 will be a year that will be fondly remembered for some historic and unforgettable moments, but it will also be revisited for all the wrong reasons.
It was largely a year of two halves. The first half was full of promise and reward, while the latter months resulted in some of the testing times that Indian cricket has seen in the recent past at least.
On that note, let us revisit some of the highs and lows that Indian cricket witnessed in 2024.
The first major assignment of the year was a home series against England, a five-match endeavor that was about to be challenging. After getting a brief taste of Bazball in 2022, India had a chance to retaliate as Ben Stokes and company were tasked with their biggest challenge in recent times.
Ollie Pope’s sensational 196 meant that India were 0-1 down yet again at home. However, a masterclass by Jasprit Bumrah in Vizag, and a record 434-run win in Rajkot meant a turnaround in fortunes. A tense win in Ranchi and a smooth finale in Dharamsala helped India win the series by a 4-1 margin.
Potentially even the greatest moment of the decade, Team India managed to end their dreaded ICC silverware drought with a campaign for the ages in the United States of America and the Caribbean. An unbeaten tournament led to India lifting the title for the second time in their history, but the journey was far from smooth.
A nervy win over Pakistan in a low-scoring thriller set the template, while crucial wins over Australia and England in the Super 8 and semi-final, respectively, guided India into the final. A comeback for the ages driven by Jasprit Bumrah helped the nation snatch a win from the jaws of defeat against South Africa in Barbados.
Team India’s year was lit up by some breathtaking individual performances. Jaiswal set the stage alight with a memorable home series against England, which included two double centuries. He also asserted his status as one of the best Test batters in the circuit with a memorable Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign.
Jasprit Bumrah’s 2024 has resulted in him being considered the greatest pacer of all time rather than the greatest across formats at present, or the greatest of the generation. From his reverse swing masterclass against England at home to the player of the tournament exploits in the 2024 T20 World Cup, or the single-handed 30-wicket and counting campaign in the Border-Gavaskar series, Bumrah has spearheaded the Indian bowling unit, and had a near-perfect year, if not entirely perfect.
Smriti Mandhana also had a fantastic year with the bat in 2024. She began the year by guiding the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to the Women’s Premier League (WPL) title. She then went on to pile on the runs across formats in the home series against South Africa, the Asia Cup, and the white-ball series against the West Indies to close out the year.
Mumbai had a dominant year in the domestic circuit. Led by Ajinkya Rahane, the team clinched the Ranji Trophy 2024 after a testing campaign, marking the state side’s first title since the 2015-16 season. On the back of the title triumph, they ousted the Rest of India (ROI) team to win the Irani Cup for the first time since 1998.
The formidable Mumbai outfit translated their red-ball success over to white-ball cricket as well. The star-studded squad recorded only one loss in the entire campaign to win yet another domestic title. They have made an erratic start to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but are capable of turning things around in the latter half of the campaign.
One of the biggest measures taken by the BCCI in recent times has been to urge contracted players to partake in domestic competitions if available, and not injured. The governing body took some strict measures when players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not complying with the new guidelines.
The recent initiative saw high-profile cricketers flock to play domestic tournaments. The Buchi Babu tournament, Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and the Vijay Hazare Trophy have all been high-quality affairs with ace players partaking in them.
India’s glaring trouble against spin bowling was exposed during the tour of Sri Lanka. After perhaps one of the least convincing whitewashes to begin the Gautam Gambhir era, the Lankans made the Men in Blue pay during the ODI series.
Two thumping defeats and a botched tie contest gave India several questions to answer, and it was only a faint foreshadowing of what was to come. A series loss to a team that was not even part of the 2025 Champions Trophy was not how India envisioned a new start, but it helped several to see the issues plaguing the team.
Perhaps the lowest point of the year, and in recent red-ball history, India’s illustrious home streak, intact from 2012 onwards, came to a screeching halt at the hands of New Zealand. The Blackcaps pulled off a stunning 0-3 whitewash to leave India completely numb. Not only did the series result end the streak, but it also hampered the side’s World Test Championship (WTC) campaign.
Whether it be the 46-run collapse in Bengaluru, atrocious shot selection in Pune, or the meek surrender in Mumbai, India’s nightmare escalated with each passing match, putting serious pressure on the coaching staff and the seniors in the squad.
The ongoing Border-Gavaskar series is also something that Team India would not want to remember fondly. Aiming for an unprecedented third straight series win down under, India did not have any momentum coming into the tour after the mauling by New Zealand.
Against the odds, India claimed a series lead by winning in Perth of all places. However, they have not been able to make the most of it because of mediocre cricket since then, sprinkled with the occasional flashes of brilliance. India ended the year with a defeat in the Boxing Day Test and handed Australia the series lead with one match remaining.
A huge highlight of the year, and not in a good way, has been the way in which senior figures Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have performed. They each had a relatively solid first half, largely in white-ball cricket, but since India’s home season commenced, it has been a hard watch for all.
A poor home season followed by even a worse Border-Gavaskar series has riled up the talks of retirement. This was not the way fans thought that the legends would step away from the sport, but unfortunately, it has come down to this. The way 2024 has ended for them, does not suggest a bright 2025 either.
The rise of WPL, equal pay, and depth in the talent pool all led to 2024 being the year for the Indian women’s team. The platform was set for the team to end the Australia-England duopoly on the field.
It was important for the team to have a perfect Asia Cup as a precursor to the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup. Coming into the tournament as outright favorites and defending champions, India faltered in the finals, losing to hosts Sri Lanka.
As far as the T20 World Cup is concerned, India had the advantage of subcontinent conditions in the UAE, but failed to make the most of it. A tame defeat to eventual champions New Zealand, coupled with a loss to Australia meant that India were eliminated before the knockout stage of the tournament.
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