The 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup was a roller-coaster ride. A bunch of corporate employees from the USA defeated Pakistan. Inexperienced Afghanistan took down mighty Australia and fought the odds to make it into the semis. India took revenge on England & Australia in an inspiring battle of emotions. Newborn Nepal almost defeated unbeaten South Africa until they choked in the final over. (This time I am using the word chockers for Nepal, but later South Africa showed why this word only belongs to them in the finals). And finally, in a nail-biting thriller, team India snatched the victory in a shadow of defeat. In this article, we will seek inspiration from such wonderful stories.
Table of Contents
The triumph of the dark horse!
The World Cup 2024 was the cup of dark horses. The USA won against Pakistan, Afghanistan knocked out Australia & Nepal took on South Africa. These teams proved that even though no one believes in you, you can succeed with hard work and determination.
The first upset (USA Vs Pakistan)
When the USA appeared in the 2024 Cricket World Cup, everyone thought big teams would win easy 2 points against this part-time team. But they defeated 2009 world champion Pakistan in a super over thriller and proved all predictions wrong.
Cricket is a game of uncertainties, and you need to be prepared for challenges and adapt to changing situations.
Jasprit Bumrah
An AI Engineer’s miracle against Pakistan in super over.
- Saurabh Netravalkar, the left-arm pacer, played his childhood cricket in Mumbai. Even after representing India at the Under 19 World Cup, his career was short-lived.
- Saurabh was fed up with the uncertainty in his cricket career and left for the USA to pursue a master’s degree in Computer Engineering.
- Now engineering was his career and cricket was his hobby. But he didn’t complain. For years he kept playing club cricket as a hobby and kept a perfect balance between career and hobby.
- Saurabh kept his calm and let the circumstances decide his fate. Then the time came when his hobby brought the most exciting phase in his life. In 2024 USA qualified for the World Cup and Saurabh Netravalkar had a chance to fulfill his dream.
- He played World Cup matches on the field and attended meetings from the hotel rooms.
- In a thrilling match against Pakistan, the full-time corporate employee and a part-time cricketer Saurabh Netravalkar, bowled beautifully and secured a memorable win for the USA team.
In cricket, you need to have a clear mind, focus on the process, and trust your instincts.
Rohit Sharma
Afghanistan didn’t repeat its 2023 mistake against Australia in 2024!
In the 2023 World Cup, Afghanistan dominated the game against mighty Australia. Ibrahim Zadran scored the historic century and Afghanistan finished the innings with 291/5 in 50 overs. They bowled so beautifully that at one stage Australia was at 91/7.
Everything was under control. Only 3 wickets left to secure the historic win against the most successful team in cricket history. But then something extraordinary happened. Glenn Maxwell, an exhausted Australian batsman, struggling with back pain and cramps, played a fairy tale innings.
Pat Cummins at the other end, held one end and scored 12 runs in 68 balls. He watched his injured teammate hitting sixes without footwork, struggling in pain after each swing of his bat. Afghanistan team had no answer against Maxwell’s storm and Cummins’s survival instinct. Australia finished the game in 47 overs and proved why they are termed as toughest opponent.
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
Albert Einstein
A similar situation occurred against Afghanistan In the 2024 Cricket World Cup. Australia was aiming for the 9th straight T20 win, and Afghanistan had no chance to stop them. The mighty Australian bowling attack restricted Afghanistan batters to 148 in 20 overs.
Like the 2023 World Cup encounter, the Afghanistan bowling attack managed to get over Australian batsmen, except Glenn Maxwell. He again stood between Afghanistan & their victory against the mighty Australia. While other teammates struggled to get to the double-digit mark, Maxwell played the superb innings of 59 Runs in 41 balls.
The Maxwell storm was about to destroy Afghanistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup too, but this time, Afghanistan was mentally prepared and experienced to handle the situation. In the 2023 World Cup, they panicked and fumbled in fielding, but this time they were calm & composed. Maxwell got out in the 15th over, and Afghanistan registered a famous victory against the former world champion Australia.
Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.
Oscar Wilde
Rohit Sharm’s revenge against the arrogant Australia.
“Nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent.” Said Australian captain Pat Cummins before the game against home team India in the 2023 World Cup final. India was the most dominant side in that World Cup, winning 10 matches in a row.
Everything was perfect for the home team. Rohit Sharma was crushing the opponent’s bowling attack in the first 10 overs, Virat Kohli was leading the middle order, and the bowlers were securing easy victory for the Indian team. But in the final against Australia, everything was a mess. Indian batting collapsed, Indian bowlers were ineffective and Australia won a one-sided game. The home crowd was indeed silent.
In 2024 India & Australia was again against each other. This time it was a must-win game for Australia to qualify for the semis. Again their captain Mitchell Marsh said, “We just need to win and there’s no better team to do it against.” referring to India’s 2023 defeat.
But today Rohit Sharma had different plans. He stepped onto the ground like a wounded warrior. He smashed 29 Runs to Mitchell Starc, who took 3 wickets in the 2023 World Cup final. Rohit’s whipping countered and he scored 91 runs in 41 balls.
But this was Australia, known for being ruthlessly Professional. In the 2023 World Cup final, Travis Head played brilliant innings of 137 Runs in 120 balls. In 2024, again he took the game in his hands and scored 76 in 43 deliveries, taking Australia closer to victory. But this time Jasprit Bumrah bowled a beautiful slower delivery in 17’th over, Head miss-timed it, and Rohit Sharma caught him at covers.
“Satisfying” was the first word of Indian Captain Rohit Sharma in the post-match presentation, summarizing the importance of this match for the Indian Team after the defeat of the 2023 World Cup.
Failure is just an opportunity to learn and grow.
Rohit Sharma
India breaks the first knockout curse against defending champion England.
Since 2013 India played 8 knockout games in ICC events and lost on all 8 occasions. One of them was against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal. It was a humiliating defeat for the Indians. England won the game without losing a single wicket!
In the 2024 T20 World Cup semifinal India again opted to bat first and put 171 runs on the board. When Jos Buttler walked out for the chase, his 2022 not-out 80 runs innings haunted Indian memories. But Axer Patel got him in 4th over and the Indian team stated they had moved on from the 2022 humiliation.
The English batting collapsed against in-form Indian bowlers and all out at 103. India avenged its 2022 semifinal defeat against England and stormed into the 2024 World Cup final, undefeated.
I love playing under pressure. In fact, if there’s no pressure, then I’m not in the perfect zone.
Virat Kohli
Summary
- Life always has better plans for you. Saurabh Netravalkar thought his cricketing career was over and left for the USA to pursue a Master’s degree. But in 2024 Cricket World Cup life gave him another chance to showcase his cricketing skills and he did it in style.
- We learn from our mistakes. In the 2023 World Cup, Afghanistan was just 3 wickets away from the victory against mighty Australia, but they panicked at a crucial stage. Soon Afghanistan learned from their mistake and defeated Australia in the 2024 World Cup with a calm approach in tough times.
- Do not let your past to affect your present. In the 2023 World Cup, Australia defeated India in the World Cup final and stunned the Indian crowd. Within 7 months, Australia was again ready to crush India at another World Cup game. But the Indian team didn’t let their past affect their game and defeated Australia to secure the spot in the semifinal.
- You can prove the stats wrong. Since 2013, India played 8 knockout games in ICC events and lost on all 8 occasions. To get into the final of the 2024 World Cup, India had to break this knockout curse, and that too against defending champion England. But India kept their cool and crushed England in the semifinal in a one-sided contest.
And then we have individual inspiring stories too. Indian captain Rohit Sharma crushed Australia in revenge. King Virat Kohli was out of form throughout the tournament and showed his class in the World Cup final. Suryakumar Yadav's wonder catch that will inspire generations. And humiliated Hardik Pandya turned out to be a dangerous wounded tiger. This is a never-ending list, and we will cover those stories & India vs South Africa nail biting final in the next article. Stay tuned...