Posted in Foreign News

Dravid urges heartbroken India players to ‘move on’ after World Cup loss

   November 20, 2023
Dravid urges heartbroken India players to ‘move on’ after World Cup loss


India coach Dravid says the players need to reflect on their tournament campaign despite the disappointment of failing to win a home World Cup.

Heartbroken India coach Rahul Dravid has urged his team to put the “tough” phase behind them. Lost to Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup final.

Dravid, a former India batsman, said the team was distraught after failing to win one Home World Cup despite their unbeaten streak in the group stage of the tournament.

Australia shocked the hosts and more than 100,000 spectators at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad by handing India a six-wicket defeat in the final on Sunday.

“There was a lot of emotion in that dressing room,” Dravid told reporters after the game.

“It’s hard to see because you get to know these guys personally. I know how hard these guys worked, the efforts they made and the sacrifices they made [to reach the final].”

Dravid said his team was confident of getting over the finish line but Australia simply played better on the day.

“There is disappointment in the dressing room but when the dust settles we can think about a really good season,” said the thoughtful former India captain.

Despite the disappointment felt by the team and support staff, he reflected on how the defeat showed the ups and downs of the sport.

“If you don’t put yourself on the line in games like this, you don’t learn anything.

“They have some great highs and some great lows [in sport] but you move on. You don’t stop.”

India was not “intimidated” by the occasion.

Sunday’s defeat is the latest in a string of defeats Australia has inflicted on the cricket-mad country of around 1.4 billion people.

India also lost the 2015 World Cup semi-final in Sydney against then hosts and eventual winners Australia, while current captain Pat Cummins led his team to victory in the World Test Championship against the same opponents at London’s Oval cricket ground in May.

The 56-year-old Dravid suffered a major blow in the World Cup final itself when he was part of the team that lost the 2003 World Cup final in South Africa to Ricky Ponting’s team.

The former middle-order batsman, nicknamed ‘The Wall’ for his defensive prowess, said he had no idea why India kept failing at the final hurdle against the Australians.

“We didn’t play well that day – we were a little short in Adelaide [in the semifinal]we lost the first day of the World Test Championship, we didn’t bowl well after Australia lost three points [in Sunday’s final] and we didn’t bat well enough.”

Dravid dismissed claims that his team had collapsed under the weight of expectations of being the favourites.

“At no point before this game did I get the feeling that the boys were nervous or that the game intimidated them,” he said.

“They were looking forward to it and excited [about the game].

“The energy and mental space with which the boys went into this game was just right. It was great. It was the exact day we didn’t execute and Australia were better than us.”

Dravid Mama about the future

For India, the next opportunity to win a World Cup will come at next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean.

None of the Indian players or coaching staff have revealed their plans for the future.

India captain Rohit Sharma will be 37 when the tournament begins in June, while star batsman Virat Kohli turned 35 earlier this month.

Dravid, in his fourth year as the team’s head coach, was cautious in answering whether all three will still be there for India.

“Our entire campaign and energy was focused on this game and tournament,” he said.

“I haven’t thought about it and have no plans for what will happen in the future.”

Dravid’s team will face Australia in three days when both teams meet again in a five-match T20 series in India.

Several members of the World Cup squad are expected to miss the series but are likely to return to action when India travel to South Africa for a T20, ODI and Test series starting next month.





Source link