T20 World Cup 2024: SWOT Analysis of India

It’s been 17 years since India last won the T20 World Cup and 11 years since any form of ICC trophy. They go to every tournament as one of the favourites and most of the time, they play like the favourites but there’s no trophy in the cabinet. The team is filled with superstars and match-winners who are destined to win the trophy but it has been the story of ‘so close, yet so far’.

Star players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah among many others left with teary eyes after a soul-crushing defeat in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Even though the format is different this time around, the players are hungry for success, especially because they haven’t tasted it for over a decade. 

There’s enormous pressure on them as well. Since the inception of the IPL, the Men in Blue have never won the T20 World Cup and this too won’t be an easy task. The players are not quite familiar with the surfaces in the United States of America and West Indies, and it would be more difficult given the fact that they mostly played on flat tracks during IPL.

However, they adapt fast, which is a massive positive. The condition is expected to suit Kohli as India may require an anchor in the tournament. During IPL, the star India batter was criticised for his strike rate, but the 35-year-old showed that he can also accelerate if required. The matches in the USA and West Indies aren’t expected to be high-scoring affairs and in that case, the experienced batter will be extremely vital.

The form of Shivam Dube and Rishabh Pant too will give confidence to the supporters. They are good players of spin and will be key to India’s success. Among bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav were terrific throughout the IPL 2024, while Yuzvendra Chahal started well but lost momentum towards the end.

As things stand, not everything is rosy for team India. There are plenty of concerns which can derail their campaign, and team India can even get knocked out early. No one expected the team to get knocked out from the group stage in 2007 but they did. That team was said to be divided into halves as the head coach Greg Chappell had a fallout with senior players. 

Unlike 2007, there isn’t a story of a fallout but there are reports of Rohit Sharma having tension with Hardik Pandya after the latter replaced him as the captain of Mumbai Indians. It resulted in the five-time champions finishing at the bottom of the table in 2024 and the fans would hope that it won’t enter the Indian dressing room. 

Irrespective of everything, India have a balanced squad that can challenge for the title. Here are some reasons why they can lift their 2nd World Cup and what are the problems they may face on the road to glory.

Attention to Detail

There are multiple senior cricketers in the side who are now desperate to lift the cup. They know what it takes and where they have gone wrong in the past and it's now up to them to rectify it and get the job done. Skipper Rohit led by example in the ODI World Cup 2023 and the team needs him to do it once again. If he manages to provide a rapid start and plays like prime Rohit Sharma, there are not a lot of teams that can stop India.

The same can be said for Virat Kohli. He has been India’s biggest asset for over a decade but when it comes to trophies, he probably runs out of luck. The Delhi-born batter finished as the leading run-scorer in the 2022 T20 World Cup, 2023 ODI World Cup and IPL 2024 and that shows the kind of form he is in. He is an extremely valuable member of the Indian team and most importantly, he can handle the pressure and deliver consistently.

The middle order is filled with aggressive batters. Suryakumar, Dube, Pant and Pandya are likely to be the four other batters and all four can take away the match from the opponent's grip on their day. They however need to be consistent. Dube started the IPL well but failed massively towards the end while Pandya had a very lacklustre season. These are the things that the team management needs to address.

Among bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah is in the right rhythm. He was phenomenal in the IPL and if he manages to continue with the same momentum, India will be an extremely dangerous side. The spin duo of Kuldeep and Chahal is back once again and they have wave magic.

Achilles’ Heel

The form of certain players is not looking good ahead of the mega event. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dube and Chahal’s form dropped while Pandya and Jadeja had a very ordinary season in the IPL. Rohit Sharma too wasn’t at his best, barring his century against Chennai earlier in the tournament and 68 against Lucknow in their final league game. These are some important players, who need to get back on their feet for India to win the trophy.

The dressing room environment is another important aspect. If the reports are true and that Rohit and Hardik indeed have an issue, then it may create problems throughout the tournament. However, both cricketers are very experienced, and such incidents shouldn’t occur during such a tournament but if it does, it can spoil India’s campaign. Meanwhile, the all-rounder has a history of injuries. It is another point that the team management needs to keep an eye on.

Among bowlers, Mohammed Siraj needs to get better, or else Arshdeep might replace him in the playing XI. The team will also miss the service of ace pacer Mohammed Shami, who is currently out with an injury.

The Crowning Moment

This is probably the last chance to grab an ICC trophy for India’s golden boys. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed and so, no one can tell if Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja will feature in the T20 World Cup 2026 and future tournaments. Keeping that in mind, the trio and others will give whatever they have to win the trophy. They would be motivated, which is a good thing as it is needed to win a tournament.

The Perfect Storm

There are enormous expectations from the fans which the players need to deal with. On top of that, if any of the key players, particularly Bumrah and Pandya, who have a history of injuries pick up a niggle, it can be costly for them. 

They are lined up with Pakistan, Ireland, USA and Canada and so, qualifying for the Super 8 shouldn’t be a challenge but things can get complicated after that. The Men in Blue have a history of succumbing under pressure and that needs to be taken care of.