India was sad on Sunday. The nation could not be faulted as its dream had come crashing down. The country had pinned their hopes on the Indian cricket team to bring home the World Cup with a win over Australia in the final in Ahmedabad, but it was the visitors who were the better team on the day and deservedly took the title. But the most dejected lot of them all were the Indian cricket team players, who played a fearless brand of cricket over the last month-and-half. But one bad day in office ruined their dreams.
India captain Rohit Sharma and Player of the Tournament Virat Kohli were visibly broken down after the painful defeat to Australia. While videos showed that Rohit Sharma had tears in his eyes, Kohli, who scored the most runs in the competition and was named player of the tournament, his his face with his cap.
However, there was not shortage of support for the Indian cricket team even after the loss. The fans at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad shouted ‘Rohit, Rohit, as he walked away dejectedly after the post-match presentation ceremony.
Notably, hosts India had an outstanding record, registering 10 consecutive victories, leading up to the final.
India’s run-scoring machine Kohli was named the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Player of the Tournament. Kohli’s brilliance with the bat was a defining feature of the tournament, with India’s number three scoring at least a half-century in nine of his 11 innings. His 765 runs in the tournament is the most ever scored by an individual batter at a men’s Cricket World Cup, surpassing the previous record set by Sachin Tendulkar, who hit 673 in the 2003 tournament.
The bulk of the supporters gathered at the Narendra Modi Stadium, wanting to see the host nation end their decade-long wait for an ICC trophy win.
But it was Australia who came through on the big day. After a fast-paced powerplay, the Australian bowling attack collaborated to bowl India out for 240.
And Travis Head was the standout batter, striking an incredible century to give Australia their sixth ICC Cricket World Cup title.
