File photo of Indian cricket team all-rounder Hardik Pandya© AFP
Indian cricket team all-rounder Hardik Pandya suffered a major heartbreak in the middle of the Cricket World Cup 2023 as he was ruled out of the competition due to injury. During the group stage match against Bangladesh, the all-rounder was forced to limp out of the field after injuring his left ankle and the seriousness of the injury meant that his journey in the World Cup came to a premature end. Ahead of the Cricket World Cup 2023 final match against Australia in Ahmedabad, Pandya took to social media to post a special message for his teammates and urged them to ‘bring the cup home’ for their billions of fans.
“Boys, I could not be more proud of this team. Everything we have done so far, how far we have come is credit to years of hard work behind us. We are now one step away from glory. From doing something special that we have dreamt of since we were children. Lifting the cup not just for ourselves but for the billion people behind us. Always with you with all my love and all my heart. Now let’s bring the cup home. Jai Hind,” Pandya said in a video posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) November 18, 2023
Rohit Sharma’s undefeated India will look to end a 10-year global title drought in front of 130,000 fans in the Cricket World Cup 2023 final against five-time champions Australia on Sunday.
India have racked up 10 straight wins at the tournament as they seek a third World Cup triumph to add to their 1983 and 2011 victories, the last of which came on home soil.
Despite the country’s cricket riches, India are without a major international title since the 2013 Champions Trophy and expectations in the cricket-crazy nation of 1.4 billion people have reached fever pitch.
However, the hosts are up against an Australian side who have won eight matches in a row and will be playing in their eighth World Cup final.
(With AFP inputs)
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