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.
This story is from the December 31, 2024 edition of Hindustan Times Pune.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 31, 2024 edition of Hindustan Times Pune.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Move over Ricky Gervais! Nikki Glaser set to give Hollywood stars a rough time at Golden Globes
American stand-up comedian-actor Nikki Glaser, who is best known for her roasts, is all set to take the stage at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards and deliver a scathing opening monologue on Sunday.
Want to create music that resonates across generations: Zaeden on his 'superstar era'
From his early days as a DJ and record producer to becoming a singer-songwriter, Zaeden has consistently explored new sounds while staying connected to his roots.
Would love to collaborate on an Indian film: Xiumin
Indian fans of South Korean singer-actor Xiumin were pleasantly surprised when he greeted them in Hindi with the words \"Meri aashiqui tum hi ho\" (a reference to a popular track from the 2013 film Aashiqui 2) at the K-Town Festival in Mumbai a couple of weeks back.
Prarambh 2025: Nurturing gen-next in music and fine arts
Arghya Indian Classical Music and Fine Arts Foundation, a platform for promoting Indian classical music and fine arts, is organising Prarambh 2025, a unique musical meet.
MrBeast's partner 'wins' proposal
Popular American YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson aka MrBeast (26) is engaged to his girlfriend, South African content creator Thea Booysen (27).
Diljit Meets PM Modi, Gets 2025's First Iconic Insta Collab
Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh kick-started the new year with a \"memorable meeting\" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Decider: All to play for, but all not playing
While Australia have recovered from a poor start, it has been the opposite for India in the series so far
Cummins Hints He May Skip Tour Of Sri Lanka
Australia captain Pat Cummins hinted that he may skip the tour of Sri Lanka later this month to be present for the birth of his second child.
The transition is upon India: What will it lead to?
It's been coming for a while but now, it truly feels like the transition is upon us.
Focus on speed, new mantra for Arjuna-winning wrestler Aman
Having lost to Japan's wrestlers at Asiad and Olympics, Paris medallist says his training stint in Japan was an eye opener
