“It’s critical to give oneself permission to feel in that time… “But there’s always another game after you get your ugly cries out in the shower,” goes the classic athletic statement.
The statement “there’s always another game” does not apply to a World Cup-eliminating defeat. It is far more difficult for athletes to accept. Given that winning the World Cup is every cricketer’s goal, a sad loss to elimination or defeat in the last hurdle sends even the best to tears.
For various reasons, the more successful the cricketer, the greater the suffering, especially if it is the final missing item in a fantastic CV. The introduction of the T20 format and the World Test Championship has helped to alleviate the sorrow for a lost chance. Cricketers, on the other hand, are still unable to stomach painful setbacks in ODI World Cups.
With that stated, here are five times when cricketers sobbed after losing a World Cup.
1. Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma – 2023 ODI World Cup
India’s top cricket players, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, were spotted crying after India lost the 2023 ODI World Cup final to Australia.
Since winning the Champions Trophy in 2013, the partnership has had several heartbreaks. Since then, the Men in Blue have frequently faltered in the closing rounds of an ICC competition.
Kohli and Rohit were the top two run scorers going into the event this year, with 765 and 597 runs, respectively. India’s valiant efforts resulted in nine straight victories during the league rounds and the semi-final matchup with New Zealand.
Still, it seems to be a recurring pattern in Indian cricket, the team struggled in the decisive game and the goal became unreachable. Australia won by snagging six wickets. The pair, nearing the end of their careers at 35 and 36, might have shed tears at the reality of possibly never securing an ODI World Cup win.
While Kohli has a single 50-over World Cup championship from 2011, Rohit has none.
Ravichandran Ashwin, a member of the Indian squad, expressed his sadness at seeing the two legends of Indian cricket in tears in a recent interview with S Badrinath.
2. MS Dhoni – 2019 ODI World Cup
Another Indian hero, MS Dhoni, faced a heartbreaking close to his renowned international career. This occurred when his team lost to New Zealand in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final match.
India’s chances in the game and tournament were dashed when the former captain was run-out on 50 with 24 needed off nine deliveries. The Men in Blue romped through the group stages, winning all but one match until the stunning semi-final setback, much like they did in 2023.
Dhoni appeared depressed following his dismissal. However, the champion cricketer sobbed like a child, according to the then-head coach Ravi Shastri and batting coach Sanjay Bangar.
The game ended up being Dhoni’s final international encounter, with the wicket-keeper-batter retiring a year later.
Luckily, he’s had the top thrill a few times. He won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. And he was the team captain!
3. AB de Villiers – 2015 ODI World Cup
During the 2015 ODI globe Cup, almost the whole cricketing globe sympathized with South Africa and their skipper, AB de Villiers.
Haunted by a shaky past of World Cup disappointments, the 2015 Proteas team appeared focused on securing their much-awaited crown. Their first victory in a World Cup elimination round was a decisive win against Sri Lanka in the quarter-final.
In the semi-finals, the AB de Villiers-led team set co-hosts New Zealand a huge 298 in 43 overs. An inspired Kiwi side, on the other hand, tracked the target down with a final ball six to put an end to South Africa’s hopes.
Several Proteas players, including skipper AB de Villiers, collapsed on the ground in uncontrolled sobbing. In one of the most devastating sequences in cricket history, the squad walked away.
The now-retired champion cricketer had a memorable campaign, amassing 482 runs with a strike rate of 144.31 and an average of 96.40.
4. Shaun Pollock – 2003 ODI World Cup
Since its reintroduction in 1991, South Africa has been synonymous with heartbreaking World Cup exits. Yet, it’s difficult to imagine a more odd manner to depart a home tournament than the Proteas did in 2003.
South Africa, along with Australia, entered the World Cup as big favorites after coming so close in 1999. However, they suffered two harsh defeats in Pool B against the West Indies and New Zealand.
They needed to win their last group game against Sri Lanka to qualify for the Super Sixes. However, a horrible miscalculation of the Duckworth-Lewis scores ruined their campaign in a dramatic finish with torrential rain streaming down. South Africa trailed the objective by one run after 45 overs.
As the rain started to get heavier, the players left the field and never came back, as the Proteas unexpectedly lost the World Cup at home.
Shaun Pollock, a skipper from South Africa, got tears in his eyes and was in disbelief.
5. Vinod Kambli – 1996 ODI World Cup
Vinod Kambli heading back, crying, in the 1996 ODI World Cup semi-final versus Sri Lanka in Kolkata sticks out as a notorious moment in India’s cricket history.
The Indian batting slumped from 98/1 to 120/8 while chasing 251 for victory on an ever-deteriorating Kolkata surface. As a result, spectators in the Eden Gardens stands rioted. The rest of the match was called off as a result, with Sri Lanka declared the winners by default based on the game scenario.
Despite the fact that the goal was a mile away, Kambli, batting on 10*, recognized India’s home World Cup ambitions were dead and sobbed uncontrollably as he walked off the field.
