2024 was full of roller-coaster rides for Team India. It had some historic achievements with dominant series wins on home soil — they emerged as the best women’s cricket team in the subcontinent — but once they moved out of the national borders, they appeared hapless, unorganized and even clueless.
They also brilliantly aced the bilaterals but found themselves biting the dust in multination tournaments. As many as 10 players made their debuts this year, yet India were unable to put a first-ever ICC trophy in the senior women’s category.
As we step into 2025, let’s look back at the highs and lows of the Indian women’s cricket team last year.
Bangladesh whitewashed: India’s calendar began with a Bangladesh tour comprising 5 T20Is. The Women’s T20 World Cup was supposed to be held there and the series was a precursor to the major ICC event, letting India acclimatize the conditions.
The visitors gave Bangladesh a tough time, affecting a 5-0 whitewash. Unfortunately, the dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup went in vain as the event had to be shifted to the UAE due to communal outrage in the country.
Record-Breaking Series Against South Africa: After a 3-0 whitewash against the Proteas women in the ODIs, the Indian women’s cricket team etched their name in history books by setting the highest-ever team total in women’s Test cricket. India posted a monumental total of 603/6, surpassing Australia’s record of 575/9.
Shafali Verma’s double century, Smriti Mandhana’s brilliant hundred and their highest ever in women’s Test cricket followed by Sneh Rana’s 10-wicket match haul were the highlights of the one-off Test. India then drew the 3-match T20Is series with one game getting washed out.
Heartbreaks in Asia Cup and T20 World Cup: After ruling the home conditions, India fell on its face in both multi-nation tournaments last year. They had a dominant run in Asia and entered the finals as one of the two unbeaten sides, after Sri Lanka. However, they were stunned by Chamari Athapaththu & Co in the finals by 8 wickets and failed to defend the title.
The subsequent T20 World Cup treated Harmanpreet Kaur & Co. even worse. A tragic defeat against New Zealand in their campaign opener and then a nine-run loss to old nemesis Australia knocked them out of the tournament. Another year passed by with no ICC trophy in senior women’s cricket.
Redemption against New Zealand: After a miserable campaign in the UAE, India shifted their focus to the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup. They hosted New Zealand in a 3-match ODI series. Radha Yadav emerged as the highest wicket-taker of the series with 7 scalps while all-rounder Deepti Sharma was adjudged the Player of the Series.
Biting the dust in Australia: Another overseas tour exposed India’s vulnerabilities as they suffered a 0-3 defeat in an ODI series in Australia. Shafali was dropped from the series while the management tried different things at the top of the order, like recalling Priya Punia and promoting Richa Ghosh as an opener. But nothing worked in their favor.
Ending the year in style against Windies: India had a blast in the final assignment of the year, a bilateral series against West Indies. The women in blue won the T20Is 2-1 and scripted several records.
Richa Ghosh smashed a blistering 18-ball half-century in the third match of the series, equaling the record for the fastest fifty in women’s T20Is. Her innings helped India register their highest T20I total, amassing 217/4.
Later, India whitewashed the Windies in the ODIs with a series of dominant performances. Harleen Deol struck her maiden WODI century and ended as the highest run-getter in the series, amassing 160 runs in 3 innings.
Debutants for India in 2024
In T20Is:
Raghvi Bist vs WI
Saima Thakor vs WI
Tanuja Kanwar vs UAE
Uma Chetry vs SA
Asha Sobhana vs BAN
Sajeevan Sajana vs BAN
In ODIs:
Tanuja Kanwar vs WI
Pratika Rawal vs WI
Minnu Mani vs AUS
Titas Sadhu vs AUS
Priya Mishra vs NZ
Saima Thakor vs NZ
Tejal Hasabnis vs NZ
Arundhati Reddy vs SA
Asha Sobhana vs SA
Mannat Kashyap vs AUS
Most Runs: Despite failing to perform on foreign soil, Indian batters topped the scoring charts in 2024. Smiriti Mandhana smashed 747 runs in 13 WODIs, including 4 hundreds and 3 fifties, to end the year as the highest-run-getter. She is also on the top of the charts in the WT20Is, scoring 763 runs in 23 games with 8 fifties.
Most wickets: Indians continued to shine on the bowler’s lists as well. Deepti Sharma ended the year as the highest wicket-taker in WODIs, scalping 24 in 13 matches at an average of 19.83. She also took the most wickets for India in the shortest format, picking up 30 in 23 matches.
Looking Ahead: Mission ODI World Cup 2025
While the lows of 2024 served as a stark reminder of the challenges facing Indian women’s cricket, the highs showcased the team’s immense potential and the sport’s growing popularity.
The emergence of young stars like Ghosh, combined with the leadership of seasoned players such as Mandhana and Kaur, promises a bright future. As Indian women’s cricket transitions into 2025, the focus will undoubtedly be on building consistency, nurturing talent, and ensuring the team rises to meet expectations in the upcoming ODI World Cup at home.
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