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Of dreams and hope: India aim to conquer the world
Guwahati buzzes with Durga Pujo as India gears up for its ODI World Cup campaign, seeking its first title on home soil amidst high expectations.
Guwahati: The road to Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati is alive with the festive colours of Durga Pujo spilling into the streets – pandals glowing late into the night, music drifting across neighbourhoods. As the lights and the cricket chatter blend into one, both carry the promise of resilience and triumph.
India’s ODI World Cup campaign begins here, at home, under the shadow of expectation that has grown more powerful with every edition. India have never won a World Cup, yet the sense is that this one — played across their own grounds — could be different. It could be theirs.
“The World Cup is going to happen at home after 12 years but there is no pressure at all, we all are looking really well,” said India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, on the eve of the tournament opener.
“In the practice games we played, we tried to tick all the boxes, so we all are very excited that we are getting this opportunity to play the World Cup in home conditions. There is nothing more we can ask for as cricketers.”
Their first challenge is a familiar one -- Sri Lanka in Guwahati, followed by a clash with Pakistan in Colombo. From there on, India goes through sterner tests -- South Africa and Australia in Visakhapatnam, teams that have often been India’s litmus test at major tournaments. Then comes England in Indore, before the Navi Mumbai leg pits them against New Zealand and Bangladesh.
No team will feel the weight of a home World Cup quite like India. The crowd will be hopeful but every performance will be dissected. While the support can inspire, it can also suffocate. The question is whether this Indian side can channel that energy into momentum rather than burden. However, Kaur seems confident.
Their early exits in the T20 World Cups in 2023 and 2024 and a shock defeat in the Asia Cup final last year have also brought in scrutiny but from those failures, the reassured feeling across the Indian camp seems to suggest that some lessons were indeed learnt.
“I think we played more ODI cricket after the last ICC T20 World Cup and we won most of the games and I think that has definitely given us a lot of confidence to do well in ODI cricket,” Kaur said.
She added: “We now have experience within this group, [having] played together. I think the team roles are clear whether it is the batting or bowling department. That is something which as a captain I always think that they should know. They should know when they are going to perform for the team.”
“I think the clarity is there and as a team I think we have created so many magic moments for women’s cricket, that has definitely given us a lot of confidence to do well.”
It’s true, in the last year alone, India have created several magic moments that mark a readiness in the squad. Smriti Mandhana’s fastest century by an Indian in the third ODI against Australia, most recently. Kaur’s century against England in Chester-le-Street. Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol’s tons against Ireland and West Indies recently. Arundhati Reddy’s stunning 4/25 against Australia in Perth, Kranti Gaud’s six-for against England – to name a few.
While India’s near-misses in 2005 and 2017 still linger in the collective memory. Those heartbreaks have built a generation of players who know what it takes to go deep, but also what it feels like to fall short. This time, on home soil, there is both the chance to rewrite history and the pressure not to let it slip away again.
A lot rests upon Kaur’s shoulders too – her place was questioned until not too long ago because of inconsistent results. But on the eve of what is expected to be one of her biggest tests as a cricketer, the 36-year-old is calm, collected and full of intent.
“Look I have been leading India for so many years. I have captained in T20 World Cups but this is my first opportunity leading the side in an ODI World Cup. I now am experienced and know how things work especially in ICC events,” she said. “But it was one of my dreams to lead my team in the ODI World Cup. I have got this opportunity and I hope me and my team both give our best to win this World Cup.”
From Guwahati’s buzzing streets to the coastal calm of Visakhapatnam, the journey will be long. But it is also an opportunity unlike any India has had before -- to lift their first-ever World Cup. At home. In front of their own people.
