A tournament of World Cup’s stature only needs one upsetting result for the fans or even the critics to pile up the reproval. And sadly for India, it was their 18-run semi-final defeat to New Zealand on Wednesday at Old Trafford in Manchester, which knocked them out of the tournament.
While many have managed to make peace with the defeat, crazy outbursts in a cricket-mad nation like India is something extremely customary. Speaking of flaring up the tempers, one might remember how a blazing crowd with booming cheers turned fierce in no time after India went from 98/2 to 120/8 in the 1996 World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka.
India’s exit from this year’s edition, however, came with a high point, to say the least. Agreed, there is absolutely no justification for the elimination, but the fact that those Men in Blue did everything possible to entertain the travelling supporters throughout tenure is something the fans need to take note of.
As we speak of amusing the crowd, a certain Rohit Sharma was at the pinnacle of it. Right from becoming the only Indian to score five tons in a single World Cup to surpassing his former captain, MS Dhoni’s total of sixes, the Indian opener was enjoying his outings all ends up.
Read | Rohit Sharma and the tale of dropped catches
But remember, it’s not always about the fans. A layman's perspective tends to forget that players are affected by the obstructive result to a greater extent. “Disappointment is there in a loss but don't take it to extreme. Because many players will not be able to process it. Everything has to be balanced, like we want it to be on the field,” Virat Kohli told the reporters after the game.
You know what MS Dhoni’s greatest achievement is ? That at 5 for 3, 1.25 billion people still believed.
— Ayush (@ayushbdhanuka) July 10, 2019
And as we’ve mentioned ‘obstructive’, Dhoni found himself in the midst of heavy backlash after his subpar approach towards his batting, especially against England. But as Kohli said after yesterday’s game, it is easy to criticize from outside when a team hits the bottom.
"It is easy to criticise from the outside when somebody loses, and you are put on top when they are winning. But when it happens on a big scale, then it is a national responsibility that how you react to the sport you watch."
So when you saw a gloomy Dhoni making his way back to the pavilion or even Rohit trying to stay strong after the wickets kept on falling, you should know that the agony is perpetual.
Dhoni's reaction when he saw that he was out, Jadeja's celebration once he got to fifty and Rohit's gesture to Jadeja just made me fall in love with this team even more..
— Harisankar (@harish_staycalm) July 10, 2019
Apart from all those heroics, there was obviously the ever-glazing Ravindra Jadeja, shining vivid afar. The all-rounder sure had his fair share of controversies, but he made his performance do all the talking. Regardless of the fact that his efforts came in a losing cause, his ‘3-D’ artistry was duly applauded by his teammates and the fans alike.
Rohit indicating Jadeja that he's strong to win this one, is one of the best moment so far. #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/gpCoJ9i20C
— Manas. (@That_MSDian) July 10, 2019
This might very well be Dhoni’s final tournament before he draws curtains on a glorious career, and it wasn’t really the kind of farewell the entire Indian team would have hoped for. But the way this team approached the tournament needs a notable acclamation.
This isn’t a time to go in the dark. Let the bygones be bygones. Let's cheer the way these Men in Blue fared and look forward to some exciting times ahead.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Oli Scarff
