The Indian cricket team, led by Rohit Sharma, had a remarkable journey to the final of the Cricket World Cup. However, they were unable to overcome the strong Australian team, who secured their sixth World Cup title with a six-wicket victory. This defeat extended India’s wait for a major ICC Trophy, which has now spanned over a decade. Following the final, Rohit Sharma admitted that Australia was the better team on the day. He acknowledged their efforts, saying, “The result didn’t go our way. We weren’t good enough today. We tried everything, but it wasn’t meant to be. Having 20-30 runs more would have been beneficial. KL and Kohli had a good partnership, and we were aiming for a score of 270-280, but we kept losing wickets.”
Sharma also noted the contribution of Head and Labuschagne from the Australian team, stating, “When you have 240 on the board, you want to take wickets, but credit to Head and Labuschagne for taking the game away from us. However, I feel the wicket improved slightly for batting under the lights. I don’t want to use that as an excuse. We didn’t put enough runs on the board. Credit to those two guys in the middle for their outstanding partnership.”
India’s hopes of winning their third World Cup title were shattered as they suffered a surprising collapse, resulting in a six-wicket defeat against an indomitable Australian team. The loss plunged the cricket-obsessed nation into deep mourning. Australia’s victory secured their sixth World Cup title, highlighting their dominance in the tournament that began in 1975.
Having been put into bat, India could only manage a below-par total of 240, despite notable contributions from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and K L Rahul. Travis Head, who had previously performed exceptionally in the WTC final against India in June, played a match-winning knock of 137 off 120 balls, guiding Australia to victory in 43 overs.
Although Australia faced a slight setback, losing three wickets for 47, a remarkable 192-run partnership between Head and Marnus Labuschagne (58 not out) sealed the victory for their team. Australia’s exceptional bowling and fielding played a significant role in their emphatic win. Additionally, the dew in the evening made batting easier on the slow and dry surface.
India, who entered the final as the only unbeaten team after 10 consecutive wins, faltered at the last hurdle. Their last World Cup title came in 2011, and their last ICC trophy was the Champions Trophy triumph in 2013.
Over the past decade, India has faced defeats in various ICC events, including the 2014 World T20 final, 2016 World T20 semifinal, 2017 Champions Trophy final, 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal, 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal, and consecutive runners-up finishes in the 2021 and 2023 World Test Championship cycles.
