T20 World Cup 2022: What will be the decisive moments on India's road to victory?

Naturally, emotions are running high, as India has a strong team and will be one of the favourites to win the coveted trophy. 

With that in mind, here are the key moments that must go India's way if they are to win the World Cup and also end their jinx in ICC tournaments. 

Winning the first game – Starting a major tournament with a win is always better than starting with a loss. However, when your tournament's opening game is against your arch-rivals, it becomes an even more must-win game. 

After all, one only needs to look at what happened to India in a similar situation last year. They lost to Pakistan and then New Zealand, unravelling their whole tournament and ending it before it began. 

They will be keen to avoid the same this year, so a win against Pakistan – often a critical moment in any World Cup for Indian fans – is an absolute must. 

A win against South Africa – Aside from Pakistan, the most formidable team on paper in India's group would be South Africa. They come into the tournament with their problems; however, they are a quality side full of match winners. 

As mentioned, India lost to Pakistan and New Zealand in 2021 during the group stages. The Kiwis were the other strong team in India's group last year, but India couldn't defeat them and wound up getting knocked out. 

If they can beat South Africa, it will put less pressure on them in the remaining matches and boost their confidence, having won both of the strongest teams in the group. 

The death bowling is falling into place – In recent times, one of India's most significant Achilles heels has been their death bowling – especially the 19th over. Far too many runs have been leaked during that time, which has cost India. 

The absence of Jasprit Bumrah from the tournament doesn't help matters – he was quickly India's best death bowler. However, India has enough quality in their ranks; at this point, it's more about the plans falling in place. 

If that were to happen, India could rest easy knowing that one of its most significant weaknesses in recent times had long been taken care of. 

Breaking the knockouts jinx – Aside from this, arguably, India's biggest test will not be one of the skills but that of the mind. The biggest challenge will be to overcome a mental barrier that forms with multiple failures in the same situations. 

Since their 2013 ICC Champions Trophy win, India's form in ICC events has tapered off. They made the semis in the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 T20 World Cup. They then made the 2017 Champions Trophy finals and lost to Pakistan. 

The 2019 World Cup brought more heartbreak in the semis, whereas the 2021 T20 World Cup saw them fail to make even the semis. How India overcomes this mentality will determine whether or not they can finally break their nine-year drought.