Team India captain Rohit Sharma 55 has commented about India’s heartbreaking 2023 ODI World Cup final defeat to Australia on November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The Men in Blue were unbeaten into the final but fell short against the Australians, who won their record-extending sixth World Cup.
It was a harsh pill to swallow and a difficult loss for everyone connected to the Indian squad. Although they were the clear favorites to win the championship, India was not intended to be in their dominating form on home turf.
Rohit didn’t make the cut for the upcoming T20I series against Australia. He also asked to be overlooked for the South Africa tour’s white-ball portion. Nevertheless, he’s set to return in the two-game Test series versus the Proteas, kickstarting on December 26.
“I had no idea how to comeback from this, the first few days I didn’t know what to do. My family, my friends, kept me going, kept things pretty light around me, which was quite helpful,” Rohit Sharma spoke for the first time on social media since the World Cup final defeat.
“It was not easy to digest, but life moves on. You have to move on in life. But honestly, it was tough, it was not easy to just move on.”
Rohit Sharma
With a strike rate of 125.94 and 597 runs scored, Rohit had an outstanding 2023 ODI World Cup campaign. Team India’s undefeated run up to the final was greatly aided by his aggressive style at the top of the order.
“I’ve always grown up watching the 50 over World Cup. To me, that was the ultimate prize, the 50-over World Cup. We have worked all these years, you know, for that World Cup, and it is disappointing, right? If you don’t get through it and you don’t get what you want., what you have been looking for all this while, what you were dreaming of.”
Rohit Sharma
The captain was understandably disappointed, as were the team players, after losing to Australia in the World Cup finale. Post the game, Prime Minister Narendra Modi comforted Rohit in the locker room.
“I thought we did everything we could from our side” – Rohit Sharma
Team India arguably played near-flawless cricket from the start, adapting to various surfaces around the country to capture nine consecutive league wins.
Rohit Sharma and company also defeated New Zealand in the semi-finals, extending their winning streak to eleven matches in the event.
“You get disappointed, and you get frustrated as well at times. I thought we did everything we could from our side. If someone asks me what went wrong? We won 10 games, and yes, in those games we did make some mistakes, but those mistakes happen in every game that you play. You cannot have a perfect game. You can have a near-perfect game, but you cannot have a perfect game.”
Rohit Sharma
Rohit’s future in T20I and his participation in the 2024 T20 World Cup remain unclear. Still, the top-notch player hasn’t hinted at retiring from the game anytime soon.