"I had no idea how to comeback from this, the first few days I didn't know what to do" - Rohit Sharma opens up about heartbreaking WC final loss
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma has spoken about the heart-wrenching 2023 ODI World Cup final defeat against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19. The Men in Blue were unbeaten heading into the final but came up short against the Aussies, who lifted their record-extending sixth World Cup title.
The loss was tough on everyone associated with the Indian team, and it was a bitter pill to swallow as well. India were in imperious form on home soil and were arguably the favorites to lift the title, but it was not meant to be.
Rohit was not selected for the subsequent T20I series against Australia and requested not to be considered for the white-ball leg of the South Africa tour as well. However, he will be back in action in the two-match Test series against the Proteas, scheduled to begin 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," he further stated in the video released by TeamRo45 on Instagram.
Rohit had a prolific 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, scoring 597 runs at a strike rate of 125.94. His aggressive approach at the top of the order played a huge role in Team India's unbeaten run in till the final.
"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," he added.
The skipper naturally appeared crestfallen along with the rest of the squad members following the defeat to Australia in the World Cup final. Rohit was consoled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the dressing room after the contest.
"I thought we did everything we could from our side" - Rohit Sharma
Team India arguably played near-flawless cricket from the word go, as they adapted to different surfaces across the country to claim nine consecutive wins in the league stage.
Rohit Sharma and company also managed to brush aside New Zealand in the semi-final to extend their winning run to 10 matches in the tournament.
"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," emphasized Rohit Sharma
Rohit's T20I future and his involvement in the 2024 T20 World Cup are yet to be known. The ace batter, however, has not shown any indication that he will walk out of the game anytime soon.