Image Credit- ICC
For the men’s team, 2023 appeared to be identical to
2022. It took less than 210 overs for their hopes of winning their first-ever
Test series in South Africa to evaporate after they participated in two ICC
competitions and lost both of them. In other matches, they were defeated by
Australia in a bilateral ODI series played at home and on a field designed
specifically for Indian spinners during a home Test match. Nevertheless, the
team made memories during the ten-game winning run in the World Cup, which was
extensive and magnificent despite the heartbreak in the final. Just before the
World Cup, they also won the Asia Cup.
Once again, the BCCI was judged to be deficient in
administrative matters. It didn’t have a strategy for the team management
succession or consult with the current members until much later in the World
Cup over moving the team to South Africa. In the upcoming months, additional
players will need to be replaced, so fun times are ahead.
The women’s squad defeated formidable sides from
Australia and England in Test matches. India was playing their first Test match
since 2021 against these highly anticipated opponents. They were second in
their group at the T20 World Cup and had a chance to defeat Australia, the
eventual winners, in the semi-finals. It was a disappointing outcome, but not a
bad one.
The Asian Games gold was par for the course for both
the men and women.
The men’s team’s World Cup run was a high point, if
only because of the way it captured the nation’s attention. The women’s team
created history with their maiden Test victory over Australia. They not only
defeated some very formidable opposition along the way, but they also won ten
straight games. With his brilliant beginnings, Rohit Sharma ignited the
stadium, Mohammed Shami shattered numerous World Cup records, and Virat Kohli’s
ascent to 50 ODI hundreds turned into a national holiday rivalling Diwali.
The men’s team from India has been visiting South
Africa for a time now in the belief that it is their greatest opportunity to
win a series there. Presumably because they have led the series on two
occasions and won at least one Test on four of their last five outings. They
smelled history on their last tour, putting the hosts over 200 runs in the
final innings of the second and third Tests. They would have hoped to overcome
the obstacle this time, but they lost the first Test by an innings and 34 runs in
less time than it took to finish third in the series, which was now down to two
games.