What India Taught Us… Despite Losing the Cricket World Cup!
Dhoni finishes off in style. INDIA lift the World Cup after 28 years!!!
These words spoken by Ravi Shastri when Dhoni hit the finishing shot during the finals of the 2011 World Cup are etched in the minds of every Indian. But sadly, this was the last time that India had won this prized trophy of One Day International (ODI) cricket. And the second-last ICC trophy(The last one was the 2013 Champions Trophy). After that, India played really good cricket but still faltered either at the penultimate or the ultimate step. India’s performance in the knockouts speaks for itself:
2014: India lost to Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in T20 World Cup final
2015: India lost to Australia by 95 runs in ODI World Cup semi-final
2016: India lost to West Indies by seven wickets in the T20 World Cup semi-final
2017: India lost to Pakistan by 180 runs in Champions Trophy final
2019: India lost to New Zealand by 18 runs in ODI World Cup semi-final
2021: India lost to New Zeland by eight wickets in the World Test Championship final
2022: India lost to England by 10 wickets in T20 World Cup semi-final
2023: India lost to Australia by 209 runs in World Test Championship final Stats Source: FirstPost
But the 2023 ODI World Cup was different. The Indian team that played was the best India could ever have. All knew their role quite well. And the team rested on the shoulders of the two pillars of Indian Cricket…. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. (Most of you would have heard about the latter) So beautiful was the understanding, coordination, and mutual respect between them that if one got out early… the other would get going at the opponents. Still, the standout department of this Indian team was its deadly, ruthless bowling lineup. Take the pace trio of Bumrah, Shami, and Siraj and add to them the spin duo of Jadeja and Kuldeep, and voila… the deadliest bowling Attack India has produced till now.
And the result was out there from the first match itself. And after that, India never looked back. Every match had a different match winner. Everybody in the team was ready to step up from time to time to win matches. This meant India did not just win matches… they DOMINATED all their opponents. And that continued even in the semi-final match. They won 9 out of 9 matches in the group stage plus the semi-final taking their tally to 10 on 10. And on Sunday, 19th November 2023… they had a shot at making history — winning the World Cup undefeated. And such was their performance that everyone believed that this Cup was going to India.
And this was when sports taught the biggest life lessons. To everyone’s disbelief… India lost the finals to Australia. A team that had done nothing wrong until the final match faltered once again just before the finishing line. And in doing so, it taught many lessons about how harsh life could be.
Always study your opponent
India played to their strengths while Australia played their opponent's weaknesses. They studied India’s game so well that India was unable to score runs against them.
Temperament matters most
India 10 on 10 matches won but couldn’t hold on to their nerves. Australia 8 on 10 matches won, still held on to their nerves. The lesson here is to hold on to your nerves in every situation in life.
Time is the biggest player
Just one bad day cost India the World Cup. We are nothing in front of time. Sometimes… if it’s meant to be then it’s meant to be. And at times when it isn’t nothing can change it. Not even your good performance.
Motivation can be a game changer
Let me be clear: I am not saying that the current Indian team was not motivated to win the World Cup.
Still, the reason why India won the 2011 World Cup was that the whole team wanted to win it for the God of Cricket — Sachin Tendulkar who was playing his last World Cup. I mean… if you have cancer, had just vomited loads of blood just before the quarter-finals… but still play and win it for your team… then the only reason you could do it because you were motivated. (I guess you know who I am talking about — Yuraj Singh).
Having said that, the campaign that India had at the 2023 World Cup was the best I have ever witnessed. And I doubt, that it will be recreated anytime soon. The perfect cherry on the cake would have been India winning it. And this is the biggest lesson: NOT EVERYTHING GOES YOUR WAY EVERYTIME. So, be humble…. accept failures and learn from them. And I hope India bounces back even stronger after learning from this defeat.
