'Felt nation might be angry’ - Rohit Sharma on ODI World Cup 2023 loss

Even though it’s been almost five months since the ODI World Cup final, the cricketers and the fans have not been able to forget India's heartbreaking six-wicket defeat at the hands of Australia at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Going into the final, the hosts were the clear favourites, especially after winning 10 matches straight.

The fans turned out in Ahmedabad but what could have been a glorious day soon turned into a nightmare. Batting first, India lost the wicket of Shubman Gill early before veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli took control. The duo stitched a 46-run partnership but never looked comfortable in the middle as Australian bowlers bowled well in the middle. Skipper Rohit departed for 47 runs as Travis Head picked up a stunning catch, while Shreyas Iyer departed just four runs. 

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Kohli soon followed suit as the star batter departed for 52 runs as India’s misery continued. They posted 240 runs on the board in the first innings, and with the ball, the hosts put some pressure early on by picking up three wickets but Head and Marnus Labuschagne changed the momentum in Australia’s favour to get the win.

Meanwhile, speaking about their preparation and mentality ahead of the match, Rohit mentioned that everyone was confident and was in good momentum. The 36-year-old added that he along with Kohli believed in building a strong partnership to post a good total on the board but that did not happen. He stated that Australia played good cricket and despite losing three early wickets, they maintained composure to get over the line.

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“Two days before the match, our team was in Ahmedabad and we did our practice. The team had maintained a good momentum. As if the team was on autopilot. When the match began, we started good. Shubman Gill got out quickly but then Virat Kohli and I had a partnership, we were confident we could achieve a good score,” Rohit said on The Great Indian Kapil show.

“I feel that in big matches, if you are able to score runs and create pressure on the opposite team, it is good as any team can slip under pressure. But Australia played good cricket. We even managed to take three wickets for just around 40 runs but they had a long partnership after that,” the India skipper added.