If any team epitomized the phrase ‘blowing hot and cold’ in 2024, it was the Indian cricket team. A year that began with a famous win in Cape Town ended with the most crushing defeat in Melbourne. Along the way, the team experienced soaring highs and crushing lows in equal measure. India seemed unstoppable in the year’s first half, rarely putting a foot wrong. Yet, as the year draws to a close on New Year’s Eve, you’re probably pulling your hair out. From stars to scars, 2024 began with a smooth ride that ended in a train wreck. Cracks in The Wall were mended, and a World Cup won, but two ageing stars and a new coach have left Indian cricket with more questions than answers ahead of the New Year.
In the single greatest moment for Indian cricket, not just in 2024 but across the last decade, the agonisingly long wait for a World Cup ended as Rohit Sharma led a team filled with youth and experience to India’s first ICC trophy in 11 years. Rohit was believed to be done playing T20Is, as was Rahul Dravid following India’s heartbreak on the night of November 19, 2023, but one phone call is all it took for the two to spring back in action one final team in a last-ditch comeback to heal the wounds of the past. Hardik Pandya, who was booed everywhere he went with the Mumbai Indians up until a month ago in the IPL, became a national hero, while a struggling Virat Kohli, despite a phenomenal season for RCB with over 700 runs and winning the Orange Cap, stood up and delivered one final time.
Jasprit Bumrah, who ended the year with an astonishing 70 wickets, showcased his brilliance repeatedly. His genius first shone in the unforgettable 17th over against Pakistan in New York and then left its mark across Barbados, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne. Against Australia in Gros Islet, Rohit batted as if he’d listened to ‘Khada hu aaj bhi wahi’ on loop the night before, and smashing masterful fifties against the two teams that had inflicted knockout defeats on India in the knockouts of the previous two World Cups.
The first six months of the year were a dream run, but the cracks began to show from July onward. For Kohli and Rohit, the joy of winning the World Cup together and becoming fathers for the second time were rare bright spots in an otherwise dismal second half of the year. These two icons of Indian cricket – flagbearers and pillars of the past decade – suffered a dramatic fall from grace. Rohit endured a torrid time in Tests, managing just 619 runs in 14 matches at a modest average of 24.76, despite scoring two centuries against England. Kohli’s numbers were even worse: 417 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 24.52. While Rohit found some redemption in T20Is, smashing his fourth century and finishing as the second-highest scorer at the World Cup with 257 runs, Kohli’s ordeal continued. Apart from a crucial 76 in the final against South Africa, he mostly scratched and clawed for every run.
When Gautam Gambhir, fresh off leading the Kolkata Knight Riders to an IPL title as their mentor, took over as head coach, replacing Rahul Dravid, expectations were sky-high. However, aside from a T20I series win in Sri Lanka and a two-Test victory against Bangladesh, the former opener has little to show for his tenure thus far. During India’s dominant T20I series wins over Bangladesh and South Africa, VVS Laxman managed the team.
Together, Rohit and Gambhir have only managed victories in the Chennai and Kanpur Tests against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka stunned India by claiming their first bilateral ODI series win against them in 28 years. And if broken streaks were the theme of the year, none was more painful than New Zealand’s 3-0 whitewash of India on home soil, ending a remarkable 12-year run of dominance. As the year closed, India had won just three of their last nine Tests, with five losses – matching their worst season since 1999.
Rise of a young India
While the legends wilted under pressure, a new generation of players stepped up, none more impressive than 23-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal. After a record-breaking 700-plus run series against England at home, sceptics questioned whether the youngster could maintain his form. Jaiswal answered emphatically in Australia, one of the toughest places to score runs. Facing a formidable bowling attack, he batted with the composure of a 50-Test veteran, notching a stunning century in Perth and showing stomach for a fight with scores of 82 and 84 in the Boxing Day Test.
Jaiswal wasn’t the only young star to emerge. Abhishek Sharma announced his arrival with flair, first for Sunrisers Hyderabad and then for India, where he smashed a century in just his second game. Tilak Varma followed suit, delivering back-to-back hundreds against South Africa in a display of raw power-hitting. Joining them was Sanju Samson, who finally shed the tag of inconsistency, racking up three centuries in five innings.
Among bowlers, Arshdeep Singh continued his meteoric rise, claiming 36 wickets in 18 T20Is and cementing his reputation as one of the most exciting young pacers in the game. The thought of Arshdeep and Jasprit Bumrah bowling in tandem at the 2026 T20 World Cup is enough to send shivers down the spines of batters worldwide.
BCCI cracks the whip
The year 2024 marked a resurgence in the popularity of Indian domestic cricket, thanks to the BCCI’s decision to mandate participation from top players in the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Those who failed to comply faced consequences, as seen in the cases of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, whose BCCI Central contracts were terminated for not adhering to the new guidelines. However, this proved to be a much-needed wake-up call, as both players bounced back with impressive performances.
Shreyas Iyer amassed 345 runs in nine games during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, while Kishan rediscovered his form with 221 runs in just four matches. The tournaments also witnessed remarkable comebacks from seasoned campaigners. Ajinkya Rahane lit up the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 469 runs, while Karun Nair (319 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy) and Mayank Agarwal (304 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy) set the tournaments on fire.
