Cricket, at its best, has never just been about numbers. It is about moments and memories carried forward on tired legs and weary shoulders.
This year, Indian cricket celebrated a watershed triumph, said painful goodbyes without fully letting go, and discovered leadership in an unsuspecting individual.
Across a team in transition, the ripple of a historic win, the old guard fighting to remain relevant and a new head seeking legitimacy, one theme cut through the noise: the realisation that something is changing.
A crown earned
India’s ICC Women’s ODI World Cup triumph was not merely a win. It was a reckoning. For decades, women’s cricket in the country lived in the margins – underfunded, under-televised, and most importantly, under-appreciated. This title, lifted at home under bright lights and brighter public attention, was validation for every player who trained on empty grounds, every coach who persisted despite little incentive, and every young girl who learned patience before belief.
The final itself felt almost symbolic in its calm inevitability. Harmanpreet Kaur’s India was not a team playing for a moment, it was a side shaped by years of near-misses and lessons learned the hard way. The win announced India not as a challenger, but as a contender that is intent on making winning its habit for the years to come.
More than silverware, the triumph changed the grammar of expectation. No longer was women’s cricket going to be spoken of in the future tense. On November 2 – it arrived fully formed, demanding space and respect in the present. The World Cup did not just belong to the eleven on the field, it belonged to a generation that refused to give up on them. New superstars emerged, but they bowed to those who walked first so this generation could run. In that collective refusal to give up, Indian cricket found one of its most resonant victories.
Familiar greatness: Ro-Ko
When Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirements from Test cricket in May, it felt like the final chapter of a great book. Their departure from the longest format marked the end of an era defined by dominance, defiance and greatness. The signs had appeared during their struggles in Australia, yet the combined departure still hurt.
And yet, this was not a complete farewell. In ODIs – the sole format they now play – both remain forces to be reckoned with. Questions were asked yet again, meetings and backdoor discussions were still happening: Are they going to be ousted here too? Are they not welcome anymore? Are there fractures in the dressing room?
From some quarters came murmurs about age, about timing, about whether the future was being delayed. Yet, “performance”, specifically for these two, continues to be their only currency.
A couple of centuries here, a match-winning partnership there, their limited appearances served as reminders that greatness does not evaporate just because the calendar turns.
There remains something deeply comforting in watching them still command their best format: Rohit’s effortless timing that renders pace negotiable, Virat’s intensity that turns chases into personal missions. All of this was put to display against Australia and South Africa.
In this format, the beat still dances to their rhythm.
In a time when Indian cricket is unmistakably in transition, they are the constants – for the team and for fans. There is also a quiet yearning that accompanies their continued excellence. A sense of what could have been had formats overlapped a little longer, and what still might be in the games these late 30-somethings choose to play. Watching them now is an exercise in gratitude and longing all at once.
Gill finds his voice
When transition is inevitable, leadership becomes the true test. Shubman Gill’s first Test tour of England as captain was bound to be heavy. India toured without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in whites. The absence was loud. Several youngsters were still finding their feet.
The conditions did little to soften the challenge and perhaps, the fading magic of Bazball helped. Gill, though, turned up with both bat (having scored 754 runs at an average of 75.4) and bearing. His runs were authoritative yet stamped with a quiet assurance rather than bravado. More importantly, his leadership carried a sense of promise that filtered through the side.
It could have gone all wrong but this was not a team overwhelmed by history or haunted by who wasn’t around anymore. It was a group learning to rebrand, fight together and build something new. The series ebbed and flowed, momentum swinging like a pendulum especially since the third Test at Lord’s. The final scoreline settled at 2–2.
There were flaws, certainly. Moments when experience was missed, when execution lagged behind intent, when shot-making was questionable and the bowling liked bite. But there was also belief – visible in body language, in selection calls, in the refusal to fold after setbacks. Gill had spoken a great deal about learning from his predecessors and that showed in some moments. Whether he is the amalgamation of what came before him or a new, fresh leader will be answered over the year. The tour did not provide all the answers but it did offer some hope.
As the year closes, Indian cricket finds itself rich with story arcs. A women’s team that has changed history, greats who continue to defy endings and a new leader taking his first steps in big boots. In the new year, questions will continue to pop, heroes will continue to fight, newer ones will emerge and regardless of what’s to come, we will be seated.
