According to sources in Team India, the skipper Rohit Sharma couldn’t hold himself and “cried like a baby” inside the dressing room after Team India’s loss in the World Cup 2023 final on Sunday night to Australia in Ahmedabad.
The gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium, which had housed over 100,000 Indian fans on the day of the final, felt like an empty dome as a bunch of Australians clinched the World Cup 2023 trophy, their 6th ODI World Cup trophy.
Rohit Sharma had already looked like he was holding back his tears when shaking hands soon after the final was concluded. Then, as the Australian players were being handed the World Cup trophy and as they cheered and celebrated on the podium, Rohit Sharma was reportedly inconsolable in the dressing room and bawled after suffering another heartbreak on the cricket field, possibly the biggest he’s felt in his career.
In the press conference then, head coach Rahul Dravid lauded Rohit for his batting and leadership throughout the World Cup.
Rohit Sharma has given a lot of time & energy in this campaign: Rahul Dravid
Dravid hailed Rohit Sharma for his captaincy, which saw India win 10 games in a row leading into the final. Rahul Dravid gushed in praise for Rohit’s proactive batting as an opener that would set the tone for the rest of the batters to take forward.
Sharma ended as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 597 runs, scoring at a magnificent strike rate of 125. Rohit even gave a cracking start in the final with 47 runs in 31 balls but India’s innings couldn’t gain momentum after his wicket.
“Rohit has been an exceptional leader. He has got the dressing room, always available for any conversations. He has given a lot of time & energy in this campaign. Even his batting, he has always set the tone for us. He wanted to lead by example,” Dravid said.
