India captain Rohit Sharma has spoken out for the first time since his team was defeated by Australia in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Final.
India went on a fantastic path at home in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, winning all ten matches leading up to the Final against Australia on November 19.
However, India suffered sadness when they fell in the final stage, allowing Australia to win their sixth title on the night in Ahmedabad.
The Men in Blue had little time to process the outcome, as they returned to the field four days later. They played Australia in a five-match T20I series before continuing their all-format tour of South Africa.
In the midst of it all, Rohit Sharma has taken a well-deserved breather, declining to play in the white-ball series against Australia and South Africa and withdrawing from public view. More than three weeks after the Final, the Indian captain resorted to social media to express his disappointment at missing out on cricket’s ultimate reward.
“I had no idea how to come back from this the first few days,” Rohit Sharma stated in a social media video. “I’m at a loss for what to do.” My family and friends kept me going and kept things light around me, which was quite beneficial.”
“It wasn’t easy to swallow, but life goes on.” But, to be honest, it was difficult. It was not so simple to simply go on. I grew up watching the 50-over World Cup, which was, you know, the ultimate prize to me.
“We’ve worked for years for that World Cup, and it’s disappointing, isn’t it?” If you don’t get through it and don’t obtain what you want, what you’ve been looking for all along, what you’ve been dreaming of, you’ll be dissatisfied and frustrated.”
The captain, on the other hand, was tremendously proud of the players’ efforts leading up to the final, which featured a 10-match unbeaten streak. Setting a superb example with aggressive strokeplay at the top, Rohit received strong assistance from Virat Kohli, who finished the tournament with the most runs.
Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul both contributed with crucial runs.
The bowlers, led by the strong pace combo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami, easily shredded the opposition’s batting lineups. It was the first time an Indian bowling tandem took more than 20 wickets in a single World Cup, with 20 and 24 wickets, respectively.
The left-arm spin combination of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav also performed admirably in the middle overs, capping off a flawless team performance that sent India to the Final.
“At times, I thought we did everything we could from our end if someone asked me what went wrong because we won 10 games and, yes, we made mistakes in those 10 games.” “However, mistakes happen in every game,” Rohit added. “There can be no perfect game.” A near-perfect game is possible, but never a flawless game.
“On the other hand, I am extremely proud of the team because our performance was simply outstanding.” It’s not every World Cup that you get to perform like that.
Rohit also sent a sincere message to the fans who supported the team not only during the World Cup but also after the setback, giving him even more desire to lead India to future victory.
“It would have given people a lot of joy, a lot of pride watching the team play after that finals, it was very hard to get back and start moving, which is why I decided that I need to go somewhere and just get my mind out of out of this,” Rohit says at the end of the video. “But then I realized, wherever I was, that people were approaching me and there they were, appreciating everyone’s effort, how well we played.”
“I feel for them all. Because they were all along with us, dreaming of raising that World Cup with us everywhere we went throughout this entire World Cup campaign, there was so much support from everyone, you know, who came to the stadium first and then others who were following it from home as well.
“I want to express my gratitude for everything that people have done for us in the last 1 1/2 months.” But, again, the more I think about it, the more upset I am that we were unable to complete the journey. To some extent, seeing people approach me and tell me how proud they were of the squad made me feel extremely good.
“And I was healing alongside them because I felt OK.” You know, this is exactly what you want to hear. It was lovely to witness how much love the people I met had for one another.
“So, it gives you motivation to get back and start working again and look for another ultimate prize.”
Rohit Sharma will captain India in the World Test Championship series against South Africa, which begins on Boxing Day in Centurion. India presently sits second in the WTC25 standings with a 66.67-point percentage, while the Proteas have yet to play a game this cycle.