Exclusive| Rewind 2024: Former India captain Anjum Chopra reviews highs and lows of Indian cricket

It’s incredible isn’t it that no matter what might have happened in a year, at year-end time, most of us are almost always left with a certain sense of hope and positivity. A look back at how the year 2024 was for Indian cricket overall also perhaps has the same effect.

2024 was overall a year that saw the Indian men’s team achieve new highs and also experience some rather crushing new lows.

Former India cricket captain Anjum Chopra, who played 12 Tests, 127 ODIs and 18 T20Is for India and scored over 3,600 international runs spoke to us about some of the highs and lows in Indian men’s and women’s cricket in the year gone by.

Excerpts…

Indian men’s cricket – The highs & lows of 2024

India ending an 11-year ICC trophy drought by winning the men’s T20 World Cup

Anjum Chopra: Becoming world champions was an absolutely magical moment and for us who were watching keenly in the early hours of the morning – India lifting the World Cup in the T20 format was a very special moment. For us, Indian fans, the World Cup (experience) didn’t get closure on the 19th of November 2023, because we lost the final (vs Australia in the ODI World Cup in India).

That (ODI World Cup) is a story which didn’t end in India’s favour. But in six months’ time to play another ICC event. The way the Indian team kept winning on difficult pitches and in difficult conditions in the US and in the Caribbean, we all felt that this story needs to have a happy ending for India.

For me, that’s exactly how I felt, because losing the 50 over World Cup final was disastrous and then going out there and winning a World Cup trophy, even if it was in a different format – it felt like one of those movies which didn’t have a real ending in the first part and needed a part two.

India winning their first ever Test match in Cape Town

AC: Going abroad and winning a Test match when you have memories of players like Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and others making life so difficult for the Indian batters in their era. So, now to go back there and win a Test match (in South Africa) I think was again a very special moment.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retiring from T20Is

AC: I think if you sign off after winning a World Cup trophy , in a foreign land in a format which is not really synonymous with your generation. Of course they adapted to the format. But I don’t think there could have been a bigger high for them to sign off on. It was perfect.

India registering their highest ever T20I innings total of 297/6 - vs Bangladesh in October, with Sanju Samson scoring 111

AC: We were like – ‘where is cricket going?’. How can players be encouraged to take up bowling? How can fielders be encouraged to make valuable stops? Do we have the intent to go back to times when a cricket bat was a cricket bat and not a hammer. The way the runs were scored – you pitied the bowlers.

0-3 Test whitewash against NZ at home – the first time ever that India lost a Test series at home 0-3 and the incredible winning streak on home soil being snapped

AC: For us to lose a home series in this manner – we were not even able to contest. That was I think a really damaging thing for Indian fans, that we were not even in the contest. We were blown away. It was a massive surprise. It caught us off-guard. This will be bitter pill to swallow for the longest time because losing is one thing, but not being in the contest is another thing altogether.

India winning the Perth Test vs Aus after being bowled out for 150 in the first innings

AC: That was a glorious comeback by the Indian team . I felt that after being dismissed for 150, when they came back and Bumrah got those five wickets and everyone else started batting well – I thought the base was created by Yashasvi and KL Rahul’s (opening wicket) stand of 201 in the second innings. We have probably not given that partnership enough credit. That was again a great comeback match for India, after being whitewashed at home.

Yashasvi Jaiswal becoming only the second Indian batter after Sunil Gavaskar to amass 700+runs in a Test series — vs England

AC: He is a strong kid, he is a lovely person, who has come up the ranks. I feel that once he made it to the Indian team – that was goal number one.

The other target of doing well, the goalpost has kept shifting for him. And the best part is that he is well aware of the fact that the goalpost will keep changing, so he needs to be ahead of the curve. It is heartening to see any kid doing so well and adapting so beautifully to each and every format.

Suryakumar Yadav named T20I captain – a long term option in place of Hardik Pandya

AC: I think it was absolutely fair. I think it was about two years back when Hardik was looked at as one of those players who will be captaining India in T20Is. Then because of the inconsistencies in his availability, someone else had to be looked at, who would be a certainty. SKY (Suryakumar) is a certainty in the playing XI. Suryakumar Yadav being T20I captain is excellent, because he is obviously a strong player and he is a certainty in the T20I team.

R Ashwin announcing sudden international retirement – was this the exit he deserved?

AC: He chose that kind of an exit . It wasn’t forced upon him. Nobody asked him to leave. Yes, you feel bad that a player like him has to travel back home in the middle of a series and it becomes a dramatic exit. Yes, he didn’t deserve this kind of an exit and he shouldn’t have exited also.

But, it’s only fair to leave that decision to him, whether it was the right one or not. It was entirely Ashwin’s decision – whether he wanted to continue or not, so one just needs to take a step back and respect it.

The young guns who have been very impressive this year — Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Tilak Verma, etc.

AC: Without ranking these players, if we are to look at their contributions, I would say that it’s very nice that Nitish Reddy is making the most of the opportunities he is being given and making his presence felt, which is the best that he can do. It’s good that we have a Tilak Verma who is coming up the ranks, we have an Abhishek Sharma who is pushing others, reminding people to not sit in their comfort zones, because there are players who are wanting to make a strong impression. Harshit Rana coming through and doing well for India in Australia. But I think Team India would want to also get into a situation where they can identify the top 15 or 17 players and then progress with them.

Indian women’s cricket – The big highs of 2024

RCB winning WPL — the franchises’ first title win, men or women

AC: For the RCB fans it was a magical moment . I also felt that WPL season 2 was extremely well received, whether in Bengaluru or in Delhi. I felt that the sport (women’s cricket) gained a lot of new fans and momentum, which is the biggest takeaway.

Setting the record for the highest ever innings total in Tests - 603/6 dec vs SA & a 10 wicket win for India

AC: What was important was how the individual players batted. For me it was redemption that the South African batters sought for themselves, whether it was Sune Luus or Laura Wolvaardt, because there were so many players in that side who were playing their first or second Test match and they came back to fight. That for me was the biggest takeaway from that Test, but of course India winning is always a good thing .

Richa Ghosh - joint fastest T20I 50 off 18 deliveries vs WI

AC: Excellent. She is the only player from India who has the fastest T20I and fastest ODI (for an Indian batter – 26 balls vs NZ Women in 2021-22) half centuries to her name. She has both the Indian records.

Highest ever T20I innings total for the team - 217/4 vs WI

AC: That is again nice progression. The way they managed to progress from the 190s to the 200s, I think that will help the players understand how to pace the innings in the future as well.