The Indian players were left with dejected faces after suffering defeat to Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final.
The legendary Kapil Dev has advised the players to move on and learn from their mistakes in the final that culminated in a six-wicket defeat.
“Sportsman has to move on,” Kapil told reporters. “Can’t carry on this blow for the rest of life. This is for the fans. A sportsman has to move on. What’s happened cannot be undone. Keep working hard. That’s what a sportsman is all about. They played really good cricket. Yes, they couldn’t cross the final hurdle. What we can learn from this mistake is what a sportsman is all about.”
The final was an unexpected end to India’s campaign that saw them rack up 10 wins in a row including over eventual champions Australia.
The Indian team excelled across departments and outclassed fellow tournament favourites during the league stage. They entered the semi-final as the only unbeaten team and got the better of New Zealand to punch their ticket for a fourth ODI World Cup final.
In the final though, India batters struggled to get going on a tricky pitch and were bowled out for 240 with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli hitting half-centuries.
Australia though sailed to the target on the back of an attacking century from opener Travis Head in Ahmedabad.
Like India, Australia also lost three wickets early but recovered thanks to a massive partnership for the fourth wicket between Head and Marnus Labuschagne.
“We tried everything we could from our side. But yeah, it wasn’t supposed to be,” Rohit said after the defeat.
“We couldn’t stitch a big partnership there. And that’s exactly what Australia did to win the game. They stitched a big partnership after those three wickets,” he added.
The Indian team will be back in action later this week when they take on Australia in a five-match T20I series.
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