Chin up, Team India!

After having put up an unprecedented performance for over two months, Team India suffered the heartbreak of losing to Australia in the 2023 World Cup final on Sunday. The team won 10 matches on the trot to reach the finals, and to fall at the last hurdle must have been a bitter pill to swallow.

The World Cup is every player’s dream, and for the first time, Team India entered as ‘hot favourites.’ With the memory of their 2003 World Cup final loss to Australia still fresh, everyone expected a turnaround in fortunes this time. But it was not to be.

Visuals of India skipper Rohit Sharma struggling to hold back tears after the match went viral. In fact, there were few dry eyes among the team — Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj both had moist eyes; a shattered K. L. Rahul sank down on his knees; other players too were seen trying to hide their emotions. And Virat Kholi, who shed a few tears as he went back to the dressing room, seemed to find it hard to paste a smile on his face as he walked up to receive the ‘Player of the Tournament’ medal. The players were so emotional in the dressing room after their loss in the final that coach Rahul Dravid found the sight hard to watch.

Hard to get over

A loss is always hard to take, but a loss in the World Cup is a haunting experience.

Former Indian cricketer and selector Gagan Khoda empathises with the disheartened team, saying that a defeat in the final is emotionally draining. And the fact that the Men-in-Blue were playing in front of their home crowd made the loss even more bitter. “I feel extremely sorry for the players. They gave it their everything, but one bad day, and you are out," he comments.

Aarti Nalge, Video, Performance & Strategic Analyst of the Indian omen’s Cricket team that played in the 2017 World Cup in England, says the team’s defeat to England in the World Cup final in 2017 haunted her for three months. “Every day I used to wake up thinking ‘we should have done that...or this...’.  Sooner or later we need to move on, but it takes something out of you to do that,” she says. Talking of her own heart-wrenching experience in 2017, she says, “There was pin drop silence in the dressing room. So I can imagine what Team India players are going through.” Aarti underlines the importance of being mentally strong after a defeat.

MSK Prasad, who was the Chairman of Selectors for Team India in 2019, agrees. (During the 2019 World Cup, India lost to New Zealand in the semi-final in England, though many had felt that India had a great chance.)  He said knockout stage defeats come back to haunt players for a lifetime. “We experienced similar emotional turmoil in 2019 when we lost in the semi-final. The players were silent and didn’t speak to each other in the hotel,” he recalls, adding that even today they talk about India’s defeat to Australia in the 2003 World Cup final.
“I was with this team (2023) from the developing stage, so it’s shattering for me personally. Our team had answers to everything throughout the tournament except for the day that mattered most,” he says referring to the defeat in the final.

Heartbreaking loss

Cricket historian Sunil Yahskalra describes Team India’s loss to Australia in the World Cup finals as an ‘anticlimax.’ “It was the biggest and greatest stage (Final encounter). And the entire country had their eyes on the match. It’s heartbreaking to lose in the final,” says Sunil.

He notes that the loss must be most shattering for players like Virat and Rohit, since they may not be part of the next World Cup edition in 2027. “I think that’s at the back of minds,” he adds.

India has what it takes

Yet, it’s the unanimous view that Team India has much to be proud of, and has the resilience to overcome this defeat. Says Khoda, “The players will be down emotionally, but I think they are professionals and know how to handle this.”

“I feel the team can still be proud of the way they played,” adds Sunil.

“Nothing more satisfying than silencing 1.3 lakh people (in the stadium), and that’s the aim for us,” said Australia captain Pat Cummins ahead of the summit clash. Two days later, his team did achieve the goal of silencing not just the capacity crowd but also 1.3 billion hearts.

Nevertheless, Team India can take heart from the way they played throughout this tournament, and come back stronger.

MSK Prasad, who was the Chairman of Selectors for Team India in 2019, agrees. (During the 2019 World Cup, India lost to New Zealand in the semi-final in England, though many had felt that India had a great chance.)  He said knockout stage defeats come back to haunt players for a lifetime. “We experienced similar emotional turmoil in 2019 when we lost in the semi-final. The players were silent and didn’t speak to each other in the hotel,” he recalls, adding that even today they talk about India’s defeat to Australia in the 2003 World Cup final.

"The Indian team’s defeat to England in the World Cup final in 2017 haunted me three months. Sooner or later we need to move on. There was pin drop silence in the dressing room I remember. So I can imagine what Team India players are going through."

— Aarti Nalge, Former Video, Performance & Strategic Analyst of the Indian Women’s Cricket team