India's sad loss
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India lost the much-coveted ODI cricket World Cup title at their home ground, which every Indian had dreamt of. Once again Rohit Sharma and his men disappointed the spectators, who packed the galleries of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and the crores of cricket lovers, who had tuned in to watch the game on screens across the world. India lost miserably to Australia in the final on Sunday. When Australia displayed extraordinary resilience and confidence on the field, marching single-mindedly towards the goal of the World Cup, the men in blue, who came with the dream of a third title, got derailed. Indian batsmen almost collapsed under the pressure of the World Cup, and the bowlers could not check opponents from beating the not so respectable total score either. It was an extraordinary sight to witness Kapil Dev and his team lifting the World Cup trophy for the first time in Lords, the Mecca of cricket in 1983. Kapil and his men, who were amateurs in the realm of ODI matches, became a wonder in the world of cricket by defeating West Indies, a strong side at the time. However, thereafter India could win the ODI World Cup only once during their triumphant journey that began in limited-overs cricket that day. And that was in 2011 when Dhoni and his team won the title by defeating Sri Lanka on their own soil.
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At the start of the World Cup Championship, it was the host team that was seen as the favourites to win the trophy. And India reached the final by outshining our opponents in all the ten matches played. However, Team India completely failed in preparing a strategy to compete with a fully professional team like Australia. Even those who batted and bowled brilliantly, leading the team from victory to victory until the final, could not save the team through any single-handed effort on the crucial day. Australia has risen like a phoenix in world cricket and returns with its sixth title. Arriving in India with more than half a dozen players looking at retirement from international cricket, the Kangaroos were well behind in the prospect list. Pat Cummins and his team, who came to the World Cup with the embarrassment of losing the series in South Africa and New Zealand and being ridiculed as a team of seniors, shocked the world with consecutive wins in nine games after losing to India and then to South Africa. Fighting spirit is the hallmark of Australia. They are capable of grasping the last bite of possibilities even if everyone writes them off. They have such success marks throughout the history of the World Cup. It was in 1987 in India that the team won the title for the first time. They won the cup three times in a row from 1999 to 2007 to achieve a hat-trick and secured the title again in 2015.
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When India lost on Sunday, the dream of making amends for their defeat in the final at Wanderers Stadium in South Africa 20 years ago was dashed. They had played so cohesively as a team that they deserved the World Cup title. Many, including captain Rohit Sharma, who won’t be able to play another World Cup, also needed the crowning glory of a World Cup victory. India's journey to the final was authentic with every player in the team fulfilling his own responsibility. The perfection of team totality where, when one person falls another steps up to uplift the team was quite in display. When Virat Kohli, who achieved unparalleled feats with his bat, and Mohammad Shami, who bowled magically, rewrote most of the figures in the record books, the rest of the players, including KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav, stood alongside them as stout support on the path to excellence. However, in the final, India's hopes were shattered by a brilliant fightback from Aussie opener Travis Head. India's hosting of the World Cup under the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the richest sports administration body in the world, also deserves praise. This World Cup took place amid concerns that the excitement of fast-paced cricket was eroding the vigour of ODIs. At one point it was even predicted that this would be the last World Cup in the ODI format. Although the initial low spectator turnout added to the scepticism, by the time the matches gathered momentum, the galleries got full of excitement. The television and mobile viewership also broke all records. However, the length of the championship, the multiplicity of matches and the number of venues do demand an inevitable change in the structure and format of ODI cricket.
