INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
India captain Rohit Sharma has spoken out for the first time since his side suffered defeat in the ICC Men&s Cricket World Cup 2023 Final
against Australia.India embarked on a dream journey in the ICC Men&s Cricket World Cup 2023 at home, securing victories in all 10 matches
leading up to the Final against Australia on November 19.However, it all ended in heartbreak for India as they faltered in the final step
with Australia clinching their sixth title on the night in Ahmedabad.The Men in Blue had little time to digest the outcome, returning to the
field just four days after the Finale
They faced Australia in a five-match T20I series, followed by the ongoing all-format tour of South Africa.In the midst of it all, Rohit
Sharma has taken a well-deserved break, opting out of the white-ball series against Australia and South Africa and simultaneously stepping
Now, more than three weeks after the Final, the Indian skipper took to social media to open up about his emotions after missing out on
cricket&s biggest prize.I had no idea how to come back from this the first few days,& Rohit Sharma said in a video posted on social media
&I don''t know what to do
You know, my family, my friends kept me going, kept things pretty light around me, which was quite helpful.It wasn''t easy to digest, but
But honestly, it was tough
It was not so easy to just move on
I&ve always grown up watching 50-over World Cup and to me, that was, you know, the ultimate prize, the 50-over World Cup.We&ve worked all
these years 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&ve
been looking for all this while, what you were dreaming of, you get disappointed and you get frustrated as well.The skipper was however
extremely proud of the effort put in by the players leading up to the final, which included a 10-match unbeaten run
Setting a stellar example with aggressive strokeplay at the top, Rohit received solid support from Virat Kohli, who emerged as the highest
run-getter in the tournament.At times I thought we did everything we could from our side if someone asked me what went wrong because we won
10 games and in those 10 games, yes, we made mistakes
But those mistakes happen in every game,& Rohit continued.You cannot have a perfect game
You can have a near-perfect game but never a perfect game.If you look at the other side, I am really proud of the team as well because how
we played was simply outstanding
You don''t get to perform like that every World Cup,& he said.Rohit also conveyed a heartfelt message to the fans who supported the team not
only during the World Cup but also in the aftermath of the defeat, providing him with added motivation to guide India to future glory.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 said in the conclusion of the
video.But then wherever I was, I realized that people were coming up to me and there they were, appreciating everyone&s effort, how well we
played.I feel for all of them
Because they all along with us, they were dreaming of lifting that World Cup along with us everywhere we went during this entire World Cup
campaign, there was so much support from everyone, you know, who came to the stadium firstly, and then people who are watching it from home
as well.I want to appreciate what people have done for us in that 1-1/2 months
But again, if I think more and more on that, I just feel quite disappointed that we were not able to go through, all the way
For me to see people coming up to me and telling me that they were very proud of the team made me feel really good to a certain extent.And
along with them, I was healing as well because I felt OK
You know, this is the kind of thing that you want to hear
It was just pure love from the people that I met and it was wonderful to see that.So, it gives you motivation to get back and start working
again and look for another ultimate prize.Rohit Sharma will be back in action to lead India in the World Test Championship series against
South Africa, starting with the December 26 Test in Centurion
India are currently second in the WTC25 standings with a 66.67-point percentage while the Proteas are yet to play a game in the current
cycle.The post India&s Rohit Sharma breaks silence for first time since World Cup Final first appeared on Ariana News.
