'Happy New Year 2024!' Indian Cricketers and Sportspersons Extend Wishes

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Indian cricket players joined the global celebration of the start of 2024 by wishing their fans and supporters the same. Cheteshwar Pujara, an experienced Test batter for India, spearheaded the New Year's greetings on his official X account.

Among other prominent Indian faces to wish New Year were former middle-order batter VVS Laxman, former Test captain and legendary spinner Anil Kumble, former opener and domestic star Wasim Jaffer pacer Umesh Yadav, and retired spinner Pragyan Ojha.

Looking back at the year for the Indian cricket team, 2023 stands out as one of the most exceptional years in Indian cricket history. They won the Asia Cup after five years, controlled bilateral matches both at home and away, and won just their second-ever ODI series in South Africa, but what turned out to be the dampener is they were once again unsuccessful in winning an ICC trophy.

India were the most deserved of all and the finest of the ICC World Cup 2023, faltered at the last hurdle, the World Cup final, and lost to Australia. It was not a result anyone had expected. The Men in Blue had broken the semi-final curse against fearsome New Zealand and delivered their greatest World Cup performance to date, maybe surpassing even their 2011 performance.

They had also won all nine league games. However, on the most significant day of each player's life and career, it seemed as though the cosmos was working against them. That day, an entirely different Indian team took the field as they managed just four boundaries in 40 overs following Rohit's dismissal. There was hope when India reduced Australia to 47/3 despite only scoring 240, but Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne stole the greatest prize in cricket.

It was the most heartbreaking sight in Indian cricket history to see the captain of the country, who batted in a different zone the entire tournament and gave it everything-blood, sweat, and energy-walk out wet-eyed.