A World Cup semi-final, the top order fails, Jersey number 7 spikes hopes of victory, and everything falls apart after they get out; Indian fans saw a similar harrowing sight last night to what they had already witnessed at the men’s ODI World Cup in 2019. Indian women lost to Australia in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup by 5 runs, and the Indian fans’ long wait for an ICC trophy continued.
Not the first time for India
This isn’t the first time the Indian team has choked in a knockout game. India has made it into the knockouts about 9 times before this (10 if you include the 2022 Commonwealth Games) but is yet to win an ICC trophy. The first time India made it into the knockouts was at the 1997 ODI World Cup. India were to play the semi-final against the mighty Aussies. It was a 32-over game, and Australia, despite a low score of 123, managed to bowl India out for 104, winning the game by 19 runs. What started there, has continued ever since.
India reached the finals of the ODI World Cup in 2005, 2017, and 2022, but unfortunately, they lost all three finals to Australia, England, and New Zealand respectively. In the T20 World Cup, India reached the semi-finals in 2009, 2010, and 2018, but they failed to progress beyond that stage. They also reached the final of the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup but lost to Australia.
Before the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup began, retired captain Mithali Raj had made a statement that the Women’s Cricket Team has now reached a point where they don’t just have to reach the knockouts, but also to lift a trophy. Last night’s defeat makes you wonder where India lack. It isn’t in terms of skills because we have some of the highest-skilled players in the likes of Smriti Mandhana, captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Poonam Yadav, Shikha Pandey, and even the rest of the players in the team, none of them lack in skills whatsoever. Some of them have been around for a decent amount of time. Then why does the story keep repeating itself?
Maybe it has something to do with the way our domestic cricketing circuit has been designed. The amount of exposure that cricketers in countries like Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Africa get is surreal and has played an important factor in their dominance in the game. The pressure in a knockout game is insane and the Indian team has made it a habit of faltering in them. The same goes for the men’s team as well.
Despite the lack of major tournament wins, there have been some individual successes for Indian women cricketers. Mithali Raj is the all-time leading run-scorer in women’s ODIs, and Jhulan Goswami is the leading wicket-taker in women’s ODIs. Overall, while Indian women’s cricket has had its ups and downs in ICC events, the team is making progress and is becoming more competitive on the global stage.
What lies next for the team?
The induction of the WPL is a huge feat in the country. The tournament will not only give exposure to the underdogs, but it also will help them tackle the pressure challenge. Look at Australia for example. Ever since the induction of WBBL in 2015, the state of Women’s cricket in Australia has improved significantly. Players from all around the world participate in the league, which helps them understand the conditions better and learn from each other. Australia have thus been able to dominate the Cricketing World.
The WPL could also help to attract additional corporate sponsorship and investment in women’s cricket in India, which could have a positive impact on the growth and sustainability of the sport altogether. With more and more resources, we can develop new talents in the country that may help bring the trophy home.
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