In the 13 years, two months and 26 days since April 2, 2011, India's relationship with the cricket World Cup had become a one-way street of unrequited love. The Champions Trophy 2013 was a much-celebrated follow-up of the ODI World Cup win but the absurdly high count of near-misses thereafter injected a strain of nervous uncertainty whenever India were in the knockouts. The last straw came on November 19, 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium when Australia silenced India in front of 100,000 boisterous fans. In the final of an ODI World Cup where India simply looked unbeatable, that defeat was probably the hardest to swallow.
Occasional misery is the raw end of the deal an average cricket fan must accept. But the despondency that had built up across three ODI and five T20 World Cups where India were knocked out in a final (2014) and four (2015, 2016, 2019, 2022) semi-finals had peaked in the aftermath of the defeat in 2023. For a country whose sporting spectrum for years began and ended with cricket, not winning a World Cup was starting to seriously rankle. A line in the sand had been drawn, with the future of multiple careers hinging on India's performance at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Denne historien er fra December 31, 2024-utgaven av Hindustan Times Lucknow.
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Denne historien er fra December 31, 2024-utgaven av Hindustan Times Lucknow.
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Pant breaks free; Bumrah injures back
Fast bowler awaits scan results and his bowling will be key if India are to win the SCG Test to square series and retain BGT
Kohli exits in rage, maybe for one last time in Australia
For a while on Day 2 of the Sydney Test, it felt like the clock had stopped.
Not retiring, sat out of the final Test for the team, says Rohit
Was it a good decision? Was it the right decision? Who took it? Did he opt out? Was he forced out? Will he call it quits?
Perfect storm in Sydney raises India's hopes
Right until Rishabh Pant walked out to bat on Saturday, wickets had been the order of the day in the Sydney Test.
6 Killed in Blast in Volatile Pak Province, More Than 25 Injured
Thousands of rival South Korean protesters rallied in the capital on Saturday, a day after a failed attempt to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol for imposing a short-lived martial law decree that led to his impeachment.
Johnson Re-elected House Speaker in Tense Floor Vote
Prez-elect Donald Trump had endorsed Mike Johnson, and was on the phone during the House vote to secure the outcome
U.S. Announces $8bn Weapons Sale to Israel
The administration of US President Joe Biden has notified Congress of an $8 billion arms sale to Israel, a source familiar with the plan said on Saturday.
Wake Up Call for US: Note Left by Soldier in Tesla Blast
A highly decorated Army soldier who fatally shot himself in a Tesla Cybertruck just before it blew up outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas left notes saying the New Year's Day explosion was a stunt to serve as a \"wake up call\" for the country's ills, investigators said on Friday.
President-elect Trump to be sentenced on Jan 10
The New York judge presiding over President-elect Donald Trump's hush money case on Friday set sentencing for 10 days before his January 20 inauguration and said he was not inclined to impose jail time.
A Calibrated Approach to Bettering India-China Ties
India must show strategic patience in its dealings with China, keeping in mind the larger geopolitical picture and seek cooperation wherever possible and desirable, without harboring any unrealistic expectations
