Will No. 13 turn out to be lucky for the Indian women’s cricket team? They have participated in all 12 editions of the ICC Women’s World Cup (50 overs), but the title has remained elusive. Twice they have come close to clinching it, but lost the final to Australia in 2005 and to England in 2017. Now, when India is hosting the mega event for the fourth time, the question on everyone’s lips is: ‘Will India finally break the jinx and lift the World Cup on November 2?’

Not an easy task for hosts

By no stretch of the imagination is it going to be easy and they will have to use every sinew despite playing on home turf. Their biggest challengers are Australia and England, who have dominated the 50-over event, winning it 11 out of 12 times between them (seven wins for Australia, four for England). The only other champion besides the two has been New Zealand at home in 2000. However, the recent display of the Indian women has given rise to optimism and many experts feel that this is their best chance to end the dry run.