Wednesday turned out to be a fantastic day for India after the country's space organisation, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), successfully completed the soft-landing of its lunar expedition, Chandrayaan-3, on the South Pole of the moon.
While celebrating a historic feat, Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians went on to tempt fate by indicating that India might be set to win the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
The last time India sent a lunar exploration mission was in the year 2019. Coincidently, that was the last time that an ICC ODI World Cup was held.
MORE: Bet on Asia Cup 2023 and other cricket matches from India
What did Mumbai Indians draw the Chandrayaan-3 analogy to?
Five-time IPL winners Mumbai Indians posted a tweet to celebrate India's success mission on the moon. The tweet looked back at the previous Chandrayaan Mission (which was sent out in 2019). The previous ICC ODI World Cup was held in the same year.
The mission in 2019 failed in its final objective, as it lost its link with the lander during the final stages. The Indian cricket team also met a similar fate in the 2019 World Cup, losing to New Zealand agonisingly in the semifinals.
Fast forward to 2023, India successfully landed their lunar mission and MI went on to indicate that it might be a 'sign of things to come' at the 2023 World Cup. The tweet was captioned "Believe", referring to the future.
𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘 🇮🇳#OneFamily #Chandrayaan_3 #Ch3 #Chandrayaan3 #VikramLander pic.twitter.com/kU9InzTlD4
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) August 23, 2023
MORE: Indian cricketers celebrate as Chandrayaan-3 makes historic moon landing
How did India perform at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019?
India faced a disappointing end to the 2019 World Cup campaign in England. The Men In Blue bowed out of the tournament after a shocking defeat to New Zealand in the semifinal. India topped the table at the end of the group stage matches. In nine games, Kohli's men won seven times, while losing a solitary match against hosts England.
However, India could not free itself from the shackles of the "knockout curse". In a rain-affected match against New Zealand, India fell short while chasing the 240-run target set by New Zealand.
MORE: When will the 2023 World Cup tickets go on sale?
