In sports, as in life, heart-breaking moments can come riding on the back of a dream run and hit you at the very edge of the finishing line; irony can cohabit with certitude. For the Indian cricket team which ran a brilliant World Cup campaign, winning ten matches in a row with complete domination, the loss in the final is truly a heart-breaking moment, a moment that came as a reminder to all the lovers of cricket that it is a game of glorious uncertainties. The pain and anguish that the outcome has inflicted on millions of Indian fans is reminiscent of South Africa’s semi-final exit in 1999, an encounter that had the touch of a Greek tragedy. On both occasions, it was Australia that walked away with glory. Ironically, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team had the finest ODI combination in recent memory, particularly its consistently lethal bowling attack, broke several records along the way during an unstoppable campaign and had a perfect script for the grand finale as the best qualified among the contestants to lift the cup. But, it was not to be. The dream just melted away. This defeat will hurt India more than any team knocked out earlier in the tournament because the fight for the biggest joy comes with the risk of the biggest heartbreak. It turns out that Team India choked in an all-important summit clash due to a defensive mindset, as evident from the excruciatingly slow run rate in middle overs, and an ineffective bowling, made worse by a flat track. No team in the history of the World Cup has dominated a tournament so comprehensively only to falter in the final test.
Indefatigable Australia, led by Pat Cummins, held its nerves on the day that mattered most after overcoming initial failures in the league stage of the tournament, marshalled its strengths marvellously and put up stunning partnerships to chase down a modest total of 240 on a pitch that was on the slower side. There should be no shame in losing to a more competent rival. Australia clearly outplayed India in all the departments, taking full advantage of the pitch conditions, and posted a record sixth World Cup victory. It lived up to its long-standing image of being a gritty, resolute and formidable team when it comes to performing on a big stage. If the 1987 World Cup win was the start of Australian cricket’s modern golden age, then the 2023 outing ranks right up there as the most impressive of their trophy wins. The 2015 win came on home turf in conditions they knew intimately. In 2003 and 2007, they were by far the best team in the competition. In 1999, despite a false start, there was too much quality in the ranks for them to fail. The win at Ahmedabad was particularly sweet because, for the first time, Australia appeared like an underdog going into the finals, pitted against a team that seemed invincible. Australia were nowhere near as clinical as India in the league phase, but in tense matches against New Zealand, England and Afghanistan, someone or the other would step in to elevate the game and take the team forward.
