One step short. Yet, one step forward. [Cricket World Cup analysis].

Nightmares aren't easily forgotten especially those when one isn't ready to experience them. It's been about a week since the ICC Men's CWC'23 finished. But most of the Indians might still be processing the turn of events, not able to escape the nightmare replay, as the distressing images and emotions haunt their thoughts day and night. Who can fault them?

A warm welcome to the blog, let's digest this loss together in this Cricket World Cup analysis piece.

Image © 2023 Dreamy Written Productions.

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Before the tournament began, India was considered the outright favorite to lift the trophy alongside the likes of England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Pakistan to an extent. Till the final, India lived up to the expectations of that tag effortlessly. But on D-day, they not only faltered but also got decimated and outplayed in all 3 departments in the field. Such has been their dominance throughout the tournament, no one expected/predicted the way things would turn out on the 19th.

The only other CWC instances where a team looked favorites (not necessarily to have won all games prior to the final) and went on to lose in the final were in 1983 (West Indies lost to India); 1992 (England lost to Pakistan);1999 (Pakistan lost to Australia) and 2015 (New Zealand lost to Australia). 2015 was also the only other instance where a team didn't drop a game till the final yet lost on D-day.

Kohli and Rohit were visibly dejected after the CWC'23 final. Picture credits - Olympics.com

Cricket is a funny game. Some may call it cruel. No team should be overestimated or underestimated. Australia saved their best, and India delivered their worst in the last game of the tournament. India can be proud of their campaign but Australia is the deserving champions at the end of it all.

So, the Knock-out curse continues for India? The answer is debatable. India had played a perfect game against their bogey team in the semi-final but lost to a team with better planning and execution in the final. In recent years, this has been the tournament where there were no visible chinks in their armor and they looked destined to win the coveted trophy. The challenge to address here is not just the pressure but also to re-learn how to win the trophy. Let's hope the Indian team manages to figure this out.

Until then, a billion hearts will fix their broken pieces and await the day when they can rejoice.

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