If you were an Indian supporter, which of these would have hurt you the most?

[Stewie]

A) 96 World Cup semi final loss against st Sri Lanka
B) 2003 World Cup final loss vs Australia
C) World Test Championship Final loss to NZ
D) World Test Championship Final loss to Australia
E) Champions Trophy Final loss to Pakistan


The 2003 final was probably the worst but this one at home in 2023 is right up there I would think.

 

[batandballbattle]

2003 final the worst? No way, what just unfolded is by far and away the worst.

10 unbeaten, every key player hitting form at the right time, a sea of 130,000 plus home fans expecting glory, in front of the prime minister at his own stadium and they still lost

 

[Nikhil_cric]

WTC Final to NZ. Losing to Australia is fine. Losing to NZ is just disgraceful

 

[Stewie]

2003 final the worst? No way, what just unfolded is by far and away the worst.

10 unbeaten, every key player hitting form at the right time, a sea of 130,000 plus home fans expecting glory, in front of the prime minister at his own stadium and they still lost

The way Ponting decimated India then was unheard of in’s final. Over 300 runs are common now but they were not back in 2003, let alone in a World Cup final. Ponting just obliterated them.

I think this final was right up there but that was just total pwnage

 

[Stewie]

Actually the 2017 ICCT final would probably hurt pretty bad as well if one was an indian. But the World Cup final losses… especially where the game becomes a one sided affair has to be the lowest of the low.

 

[Civil]

2003 final the worst? No way, what just unfolded is by far and away the worst.

10 unbeaten, every key player hitting form at the right time, a sea of 130,000 plus home fans expecting glory, in front of the prime minister at his own stadium and they still lost

Not to mention there was a large contingent of Indian fans in social media comments that were super confident (rightly so) and expecting for 2023 to "heal" their 2003 wounds and complete revenge. That let down had to make 2023 harder.

 

[Aman]

Before some answer - there were Indian villages already celebrating this WC win by handing out mutai. Judging by the post match ceremony this should have been a foregone conclusion.

When does a favorite for a WC Final actually lose?

From memory that I can recall who were favorites.

2003 - Aus favored over India and won
2007 - Aus favored over SL and won
2011 - India favored over SL and won
2015 - Aus favored over NZ and won
2019 - Eng favored over NZ and won
2023 - India favored over Aus and lost

 

[chinaman00]

The way Ponting decimated India then was unheard of in’s final. Over 300 runs are common now but they were not back in 2003, let alone in a World Cup final. Ponting just obliterated them.

I think this final was right up there but that was just total pwnage

How many people expected India to beat the 2003 Australian team in the WC final? I don’t think even the Indians fancied their chances.

 

[Aman]

WTC Final to NZ. Losing to Australia is fine. Losing to NZ is just disgraceful

Indian fans were already sewing a third star to their jerseys and handing out mutai before last night's Final.

 

[Kianig89]

India had themselves and BCCI to blame all tournaments they feasted on micky mouse ground with flat wickets and the most important game for Indian cricket in 12 years, they come up with low slow lifeless wicket which aided reverse swing to lethal Aus bowlers, most safe approach for India to win final should have been Bengaluru or Delhi

 

[Aman]

India had themselves and BCCI to blame all tournaments they feasted on micky mouse ground with flat wickets and the most important game for Indian cricket in 12 years, they come up with low slow lifeless wicket which aided reverse swing to lethal Aus bowlers, most safe approach for India to win final should have been Bengaluru or Delhi

Let's not forget tampering with pitches.

All time great L to rig pitches in their favor and still lose. Talk about humiliation.

 

[batandballbattle]

The way Ponting decimated India then was unheard of in’s final. Over 300 runs are common now but they were not back in 2003, let alone in a World Cup final. Ponting just obliterated them.

I think this final was right up there but that was just total pwnage

They dug their own graves in both. One by gifting first go on a great batting surface and the other with a timid batting approach. But 2023 has the extra pain of a home loss and the unbeaten streak broken

Not to mention there was a large contingent of Indian fans in social media comments that were super confident (rightly so) and expecting for 2023 to "heal" their 2003 wounds and complete revenge. That let down had to make 2023 harder.

That overconfidence was obnoxious yes. I had them as winners before the final and it was a little bit of a shock to see the result, but a lot of fans were acting like it was a foregone conclusion, forgetting that the team they were up against has made this tournament their own.

 

[ads101]

This is by far the worst. This is the first time an away nation has won an ODI World Cup since 2007.

It’s really terrible. Mohali hurts the worst as a pak fan, but this is worse.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Indian fans were already sewing a third star to their jerseys and handing out mutai before last night's Final.

This thread is asking Indian fans on this forum what they thought was their worst loss and I put my view out there. I don't claim to represent all Indian fans.

Losing to NZ multiple times in ICC tournaments was a disgrace . Losing to Australia is not.

 

[Aman]

This thread is asking Indian fans on this forum what they thought was their worst loss and I put my view out there. I don't claim to represent all Indian fans.

Losing to NZ multiple times in ICC tournaments was a disgrace . Losing to Australia is not.

Whatever brother. You lost to both, you can comment about which final loss was worse. This was slam dunk WC with the stage set for India, pitch rigged and your boys got humiliated by the Aussies.

 

[flawed_genius]

No shame in losing to the alpha male of cricket.

However, when you have everything in your favour, and then you go on and produce such a timid performance. Wow, must be absolutely devastating for the Indian fans.

 

[Aman]

This is by far the worst. This is the first time an away nation has won an ODI World Cup since 2007.

It’s really terrible. Mohali hurts the worst as a pak fan, but this is worse.

Brother I would be heartbroken if I were an Indian in this position. Win every game leading up to the Final, look a level or two above everyone else, have a ready made pitch to help them, 100,000 fans (with no supporters for other teams traveling for the tournament) behind you only to get hammered and your fans silenced and the verge on tears.

A personal highlight was seeing Ranveer Singh gesturing to relax and pointing to the Indian badge only for the camera to cut to Shami getting out the very next ball.

 

[Kianig89]

In order of pain

SF defeat SL 1996 was pure humiliation

2003 was just hard luck

But this 2023 defeat is pure hiest

 

[flawed_genius]

A personal highlight was seeing Ranveer Singh gesturing to relax and pointing to the Indian badge only for the camera to cut to Shami getting out the very next ball.

Ah, this was the same clown who was blowing a head gasket over Labu's not out LBW review. Definitely hilarious.

 

[Aman]

Im not sure why an Indian origin Kiwi who supports Australia, most likely because of the cricketing equivalent of Stockholm Syndrome, thinks he should speak for what Indian fans feel.

Clearly, this thread is for the opinions of fans of Team India. Not some coconut attention seeking desi.

Why wouldn't I revel in this epic backfire from the Indians after the pitch nonsense you pulled on us in the SFs? It's called karma. You deserve this humiliation.

 

[Aman]

2003 final the worst? No way, what just unfolded is by far and away the worst.

10 unbeaten, every key player hitting form at the right time, a sea of 130,000 plus home fans expecting glory, in front of the prime minister at his own stadium and they still lost

Top 3 all time sporting moment.

Deck stacked against them and the Aussies still come out on top.

I wonder how high they rate this. To me that's got to be above any of their WC wins given the context of it being away, opposition tampering with the pitch and being massive underdogs.

 

[flawed_genius]

Top 3 all time sporting moment.

Deck stacked against them and the Aussies still come out on top.

I wonder how high they rate this. To me that's got to be above any of their WC wins given the context of it being away, opposition tampering with the pitch and being massive underdogs.

Definitely the most sweetest win for me. My other mates concur as well. It was a tactical masterclass from us.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Losing to Australia should hurt the most. They have been India's biggest rivals.

 

[ads101]

Top 3 all time sporting moment.

Deck stacked against them and the Aussies still come out on top.

I wonder how high they rate this. To me that's got to be above any of their WC wins given the context of it being away, opposition tampering with the pitch and being massive underdogs.

The others they were favourites. So this has got to be the best. I didn’t really give Aussies a chance before tournament either. I thought especially against spin they wouldn’t hold up in these conditions. I honestly thought it would be England or maybe South Africa who would lift the trophy before the tournament started in the small chance India wouldn’t win. In fact kind of rated their chances similar to Pakistan, so am very impressed they did it.

 

[Aman]

Definitely the most sweetest win for me. My other mates concur as well. It was a tactical masterclass from us.

I thought Cummins messed up bowling first, think the Indian fans even started cheering when he said he'd bowl first. But he read and played it perfectly.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Why wouldn't I revel in this epic backfire from the Indians after the pitch nonsense you pulled on us in the SFs? It's called karma. You deserve this humiliation.

Pitch rigging - basically shaving off the live grass is the only reason you lost by a somewhat respectable margin of 70 runs.

You would have been crushed by 200 runs and shown your real auqaat .

Kiwi squad should go to that curator and thank him on bended knees .

 

[Aman]

Pitch rigging - basically shaving off the live grass is the only reason you lost by a somewhat respectable margin of 70 runs.

You would have been crushed by 200 runs and shown your real auqaat .

Kiwi squad should go to that curator and thank him on bended knees .

Doesn't matter. We're not the ones licking our wounds after rigging the deck in our favor and still losing. I hope you've got a receipt for the mutai you ordered, you might still be able to get a refund.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Doesn't matter. We're not the ones licking our wounds after rigging the deck in our favor and still losing. I hope you've got a receipt for the mutai you ordered, you might still be able to get a refund.

Clearly you are still licking yours after the Boks once again proved that the All Blacks suck.

 

[JaDed]

1996 and 2014 both against Lanka.

2003 hurt but was expected

 

[Aman]

Clearly you are still licking yours after the Boks once again proved that the All Blacks suck.

Not really, no one expected the ABs to go that far. I was handing out mutai after we beat Ireland.

ABs overachieved and probably should have got the job done with the chances we had despite being down a player for most of the game. Regardless no shame losing to the Boks, the WC remains in the southern hemisphere.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Not really, no one expected the ABs to go that far. They overachieved and probably should have won despite being down a player for most of the game. Regardless no shame losing to the Bike, the WC remains in the southern hemisphere.

Cope. Southern Hemisphere lmao .

 

[RexRex]

Probably breaking the Streak a few weeks ago would've hurt me the most since it was 30 year old tradition lol.

But yeah .. has to be the 2003 WC final for me. Great players on both sides and Tendulkar was at his peak.

 

[Aman]

Cope. Southern Hemisphere lmao .

SH vs NH is a thing.

Don't talk about stuff you clearly don't know anything about.

 

[kron]

Losing to Australia should hurt the most. They have been India's biggest rivals.

This time Aussies would revenge at home test series as well. They have lost 4 in a row to India.

I sense a 3 0 or 40 drubbing this time.

 

[JaDed]

Actually the 2017 ICCT final would probably hurt pretty bad as well if one was an indian. But the World Cup final losses… especially where the game becomes a one sided affair has to be the lowest of the low.

Lol not even close , ICC CT wasn’t even mentioned as a big tournament on this forum until you guys won and now every Pak posters deliberately includes that along WCs..which is fair but India has two of those so it didn’t matter.

WCs will always matter esp ODI ones… maybe for future generations it wont.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

SH vs NH is a thing.

Don't talk about stuff you clearly don't know anything about.

Clearly supporting Australia in cricket especially when your loss to them is a foregone conclusion also seems to be a thing .

 

[JaDed]

Not really, no one expected the ABs to go that far. I was handing out mutai after we beat Ireland.

ABs overachieved and probably should have got the job done with the chances we had despite being down a player for most of the game. Regardless no shame losing to the Boks, the WC remains in the southern hemisphere.

That’s exactly what we say to ourselves when we lose to Aus.m in cricket.

 

[Aman]

Clearly supporting Australia in cricket especially when your loss to them is a foregone conclusion also seems to be a thing .

Supporting the Aussies against a team who stacked the deck against us.

Hm.

 

[JaDed]

This time Aussies would revenge at home test series as well. They have lost 4 in a row to India.

I sense a 3 0 or 40 drubbing this time.

They are a better test team right now and we will deserve the loss esp coz no Rishabh as well

 

[JaDed]

Probably breaking the Streak a few weeks ago would've hurt me the most since it was 30 year old tradition lol.

But yeah .. has to be the 2003 WC final for me. Great players on both sides and Tendulkar was at his peak.

That’s true that will hurt whenever that happens just glad it can be ignored for 4 more years now lol

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

Could anything be more painful than what has just happened, like seriously?

This is one of the best Indian teams Im sure. They had every position (expcet maybe lower batting with Pandya injured) covered with great players. The bowling attack was amazing

~100,000 + Indian crowd, at half time you heard "India will win".

Unbeaten. So many great players with great stories:

Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, Shami, and more

And on paper they were clear favourites.

But with all that they still lost.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Supporting the Aussies against a team who stacked the deck against us.

Hm.

We stacked the deck for you. You can't bat on that wicket under lights with live grass.

And yet you lost. In fact 5 losses in a row against India now.

During the bilateral you said NZ were not at full strength . Well your full strength team sucks and your premier fast bowler doesn't even want to play for NZ

Also, you clearly mentioned you support Australia regardless . Had nothing to do with this match

 

[kron]

They are a better test team right now and we will deserve the loss esp coz no Rishabh as well

If rishabh played india wins yesterday in odi. You need clutch players like him, jaiswal sundar etc. You would have won.

 

[JaDed]

Could anything be more painful than what has just happened, like seriously?

This is one of the best Indian teams Im sure. They had every position (expcet maybe lower batting with Pandya injured) covered with great players. The bowling attack was amazing

~100,000 + Indian crowd, at half time you heard "India will win".

Unbeaten. So many great players with great stories:

Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, Shami, and more

And on paper they were clear favourites.

But with all that they still lost.

I think it’s because of so much cricket it doesn’t hurt as much, ICC t20 wc in what next 7-8 months?

 

[CricketCartoons]

This time Aussies would revenge at home test series as well. They have lost 4 in a row to India.

I sense a 3 0 or 40 drubbing this time.

Oh, are they staying for a test series? I only try to watch cricket when there is Ind Aus test cricket, otherwise just follow the scorecard on cricinfo.

 

[JaDed]

If rishabh played india wins yesterday in odi. You need clutch players like him, jaiswal sundar etc. You would have won.

Who knows man, let’s see we will be going through rebuilding phase.

Rishabh couldn’t help us in 2019 semis so we can’t always expect him to bail us out .

Aus are deserving champions.

 

[Aman]

We stacked the deck for you. You can't bat on that wicket under lights with live grass.

And yet you lost. In fact 5 losses in a row against India now.

During the bilateral you said NZ were not at full strength . Well your full strength team sucks and your premier fast bowler doesn't even want to play for NZ

Also, you clearly mentioned you support Australia regardless . Had nothing to do with this match

I grew up watching them and supporting the likes of Ponting, Gilly and McGrath. I am happy for them due to the respect I have for them.

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

I think it’s because of so much cricket it doesn’t hurt as much, ICC t20 wc in what next 7-8 months?

Yeah 2024 T20 World Cup.

And by the way; Pakistan didnt take hold of their golden chances of the 2021 and 2022 T20 WC. And India didn't take hold of their golden chance of this World Cup, so although things can change, Im starting to think of the possibilty where noyone from subconitnent will be winning an ICC event for at least the remainder of this decade...

But its still far away I guess

 

[JaDed]

Yeah 2024 T20 World Cup.

And by the way; Pakistan didnt take hold of their golden chances of the 2021 and 2022 T20 WC. And India didn't take hold of their golden chance of this World Cup, so although things can change, Im starting to think of the possibilty where noyone from subconitnent will be winning an ICC event for at least the remainder of this decade...

But its still far away I guess

It does look that way but T20 is anyones game. man, ODI I probably agree.

 

[Ahmed216]

India had themselves and BCCI to blame all tournaments they feasted on micky mouse ground with flat wickets and the most important game for Indian cricket in 12 years, they come up with low slow lifeless wicket which aided reverse swing to lethal Aus bowlers, most safe approach for India to win final should have been Bengaluru or Delhi

It had to be Ahmedabad .It was all set up for PM to hand the trophy to the team at the stadium he's named after himself.
Not to be

 

[OMB]

It had to be Ahmedabad .It was all set up for PM to hand the trophy to the team at the stadium he's named after himself.
Not to be

I don't read too much into the PM not being able to give trophy. This POV only sells in Pak and has no relevance to Indian cricket.

But yeah for pure cricketing reasons, I feel 2023 was India's WC just because we had all the boxes ticked and had amazing great bowling lineup this time. so you could say this one really got away

 

[ExpressPacer]

No shame in losing to the alpha male of cricket.

However, when you have everything in your favour, and then you go on and produce such a timid performance. Wow, must be absolutely devastating for the Indian fans.

Well, with the way India lost, they pretty much bent over backwards for the “alpha male of cricket” and provided him with clear passage. I would be ashamed at that.

 

[Ahmed216]

I don't read too much into the PM not being able to give trophy. This POV only sells in Pak and has no relevance to Indian cricket.

But yeah for pure cricketing reasons, I feel 2023 was India's WC just because we had all the boxes ticked and had amazing great bowling lineup this time. so you could say this one really got away

Few fans may not read too much into it but it does matter to the PM who likes to market himself and has completely sabotaged Indian media to that end

 

[Vikram1989]

It does look that way but T20 is anyones game. man, ODI I probably agree.

I am thinking we may bevgoo at next wc because all our bowling depth will remain. Prasid can replace shami on sa bouncy pitches. Definitely bisnoi or axar will be in jaddu.Batting wise we should be in good hands with jaiswal,pant,gill,tilak etc.all of the batsmen will be young.one more issue is almost all teams have to rebuild now.

 

[OMB]

Could anything be more painful than what has just happened, like seriously?

This is one of the best Indian teams Im sure. They had every position (expcet maybe lower batting with Pandya injured) covered with great players. The bowling attack was amazing

~100,000 + Indian crowd, at half time you heard "India will win".

Unbeaten. So many great players with great stories:

Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, Shami, and more

And on paper they were clear favourites.

But with all that they still lost.

yeah this is one of the best Indian teams ever and were favourites considering their unbeaten run.
On the day it mattered, Aussies read the pitch better and executed their bowling plans and field placements far better than India did.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Nothing better than schadenfreude. I love to read those who rub it in, unlike those people who try to cheer you up and commiserate. I hate indians and pakistanis almost equally and love to see their misery (in trivial pursuits like sports and politics). Yesterday was a great day to see the indians faces. Only downside it that today my stocks took a beating and lost 1%, maybe because of the gloom after the loss.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I grew up watching them and supporting the likes of Ponting, Gilly and McGrath. I am happy for them due to the respect I have for them.

Nikhil, I know you are hurting. But you are a respected poster, don’t say racist slurs like “coconut”. I am sure you are aware of the violence that has been perpetrated onto minorities in the West with that term.

Also, @Aman is a Kiwi. Just because he happens to be of Indian origin and supports NZ, you call him a coconut?

Again, I realise you are hurting because the Indian team has been humiliated - but racism is not OK.

Thought it was just banter? Arent desis allowed to call each other that like black Americans use the N word even if it is offensive when others call them that? I wasnt aware that it was racist . If tha's the case my apologies @Aman

 

[OMB]

Few fans may not read too much into it but it does matter to the PM who likes to market himself and has completely sabotaged Indian media to that end

Few fans read too much into this angle because they are poorly informed about Indo-politics.
You give too much value to the Indian media.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Thought it was just banter? Arent desis allowed to call each other that like black Americans use the N word even if it is offensive when others call them that? I wasnt aware that it was racist . If tha's the case my apologies @Aman

I don’t know if that’s the case but I’m glad your intentions weren’t bad.

 

[munaf4u]

2023 worldcup defeat hurts the most bcoz we beat everyone convincingly and looked invincible.
2003 Australia team was very powerful and they won against india in the league games.

But india gave a lot of joy n happiness to its fans. Very proud of there performance and hope Inshaa ALLAAH india win the finals of future icc tournaments. India will surely dominate in ODI and tests. T20 can b anybodies game.

 

[pakistani pride]

Before some answer - there were Indian villages already celebrating this WC win by handing out mutai. Judging by the post match ceremony this should have been a foregone conclusion.

When does a favorite for a WC Final actually lose?

From memory that I can recall who were favorites.

2003 - Aus favored over India and won
2007 - Aus favored over SL and won
2011 - India favored over SL and won
2015 - Aus favored over NZ and won
2019 - Eng favored over NZ and won
2023 - India favored over Aus and lost

what is mutai?

 

[Aman]

what is mutai?

Idk how to spell it, but it's Indian sweets that Indians give to friends and family to celebrate.

 

[pillionrider]

I was a kid so obviously you hurt more. The 2003 Final ached the most.

Don't hurt over a sports team losing as an adult lol, but the most disappointing has been the CT final loss and the 2019 semi loss vs NZ. In both games, I believed we were the better team (not on the day obviously) and should have won those games.

A match against Australia in a WC final is more a test of this Indian team's champion qualities and they came up short.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I was a kid so obviously you hurt more. The 2003 Final ached the most.

Don't hurt over a sports team losing as an adult lol, but the most disappointing has been the CT final loss and the 2019 semi loss vs NZ. In both games, I believed we were the better team (not on the day obviously) and should have won those games.

A match against Australia in a WC final is more a test of this Indian team's champion qualities and they came up short.

This. Australia was 50:50 . Their team is full of white ball/red ball greats who have won WTC, World T20, 2015 World Cup etc.

We lost a CT final to a team with Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik.

And lost to a NZ side with Henry Nicholls and Colin de Grandhomme.

Kohli should have been stripped of his captaincy right then and there.

 

[sweep_shot]

I think this is India's worst loss.

It was a home World Cup. Team reached final with a 10-match winning streak.

They not only lost but also lost in an one-sided manner.

 

[Romali_rotti]

1996 was the most painful.

2003 deep down all Indian fans knew India was not gonna win.

Others, don't really care..

 

[Romali_rotti]

In order of pain

SF defeat SL 1996 was pure humiliation

2003 was just hard luck

But this 2023 defeat is pure hiest

Nahh, Indians were never in with a chance in 2003, there was no luck, they just came up against an unstoppable hall of fame Aus side..

 

[OldWarHorse]

When you lose to a better team and get thoroughly outplayed, it can't really feel as bad as it did in say 2019.

We had a flawed team most Indians would acknowledge even before the WC, but the rest of the teams were genuinely mediocre enough to not exploit it. They made us look better than we actually are.

Australia almost did in the opening game and then in the final they showed us up.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

I can't answer the thread. I momentarily tried to pretend I was an Indian poster so I could come with an answer but felt a deep shame and was unable to look at myself in the mirror.

 

[captain.hansolo]

A) 96 World Cup semi final loss against st Sri Lanka
B) 2003 World Cup final loss vs Australia
C) World Test Championship Final loss to NZ
D) World Test Championship Final loss to Australia
E) Champions Trophy Final loss to Pakistan


The 2003 final was probably the worst but this one at home in 2023 is right up there I would think.

Kitply Cup Final. Dhoni needed 15 runs off the final over and we fell short by 6 odd. Still gets me in the feels.

 

[battler]

2003 really hurt. It was like a kick in the gut. It was my first world cup experience, was a 10 year old and the brutality of Australia on that day just left me numb and shell shocked.
2023 was much more winnable and there is deep disappointment as well but atleast by now I had seen India lifting 2 world titles.

 

[captain.hansolo]

The sole silver lining of this World Cup loss is that it occurred at Ahmedabad, with the self anointed king modi in attendance and his plot to highjack a sport victory into further propagating his jingoistic agenda.

 

[AAli98]

lol at hurting at 2003 cup bowling attack of srinath dinesh mongia & you wanted to beat Hayden gilchrist ponting McGrath.

 

[RamLakhan]

Could not login to forums yesterday. Yes it definitely hurt me the most. But then I came back to normal. Always felt there were issues with the team (Middle order- Iyer, Rahul, Sky) and Siraj... Knew these guys may not perform in the finals. Also was not happy with Rohit as captain. (He surprised us anyhow with his captaincy upto finals and especially batting...) Pandya's injury was also crucial (he is definitely a better bowler than Siraj - only thing he could not bowl full 10 overs. And always has fitness issues), but if he had somehow played in the finals, India would have probably had more chances of winning.

India still has team balance issues... In future they should look to develop better team and come out of players like Jadeja. Jadeja could be Dhoni's buddy & integral part of CSK, but India should look at better players for international games (like Yuvaraj, Raina - Batting alrounders).

Captain is always important for a team's success. Kapil & Dhoni had it in them. Its extremely difficult to handle a cricket nation like India where professionalism still takes a back seat, favorism, regionalism, politics still count...

If the same match is played today (between Australia & India) on the same ground with same set of players - an insignificant game... I guess India may score 320+ and Australia may get bundled out below 200. Thats how ridiculous and that's how much it hurts to people like me! It is all about handling the big occasion and the team was not upto it...

Do you think Australia just played all these games just going with motion...? I think they studied each match, each opposition, each pitch and condition from the beginning of the tournament and were analyzing everything and were also planning for the Indian team which they were likely to meet in the finals (and also the venue of the finals)...

The moment Rohit Sharma heard "bowling first" from Cummin's mouth, he was stunned (and we could see that on his face). I think he was not prepared for it right from that point... If Rohit had won the toss on himself and chose to bat, probably he would not have got so tensed... This is what is called as thinking one step ahead of the opposition... (but not blindly without any planning like 2017 Kohli)

India was not prepared to handle this tactical brilliance of Australia... At only two points in the game India were in strong positions (76/1 in 9th over when they were batting with Rohit & Kohli together AND they had Australia 47/3 after 7 overs). They couldn't capitalize on those... So its not all about losing the toss, also not that bowlers' let them down OR batter's let them down, it is both... Australia were ready for all possibilities batting 1st, 2nd (after winning or losing toss), but they had developed an algorithm to execute & they did it...

Also Rohit's predictable approach of aggressive start (at the expense of losing his wicket) throughout the tournament.... He could have changed it suddenly & decided to play the anchor role after 5 overs, and this would have confused Australia! Such dynamics are required to win finals... (like Dhoni coming at No.5 which Sri Lanka or even we viewers never expected!)

Rohit Sharma should have captained India long back (instead of now) while he was winning it for MI... Kohli should have captained long back in 2015 instead of 2019.... Dhoni should never have played in 2019... We should have had an all new captain for this tournament... All these are mismatches... We in fact couldn't develop the team properly. Just felt that Iyer, Rahul, Siraj all were coming good at the right time and they could win it for us! But it failed spectacularly in the FINALS!!! All these are tactical blunders... As long as India doesn't become 100% professional team we will continue to see these debacles!

You can't go harsh on someone like Gill. He didn't play all the matches and also he may combine well with younger partners (like Jaiswal, etc) instead of Rohit... He could at the most be like Kohli in 2011... (yet to blossom)

And CAPTAIN is very crucial for winning the knockout games (besides coach in the background). Because he is the one controlling the things happening on that particular day and particular moment, he should always be on his toes...

 

[captain.hansolo]

lol at hurting at 2003 cup bowling attack of srinath dinesh mongia & you wanted to beat Hayden gilchrist ponting McGrath.

Nehra had blow England away while battling a fever and a stomach bug, Zaheer and Srinath had just decimated Sri Lanka. They may appear benign but at the time they were spitting fire.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

For sure its Champions Trophy 2017 final, considering how Pakistan lost the first match against India nobody could have been imagined that how one sided this final would become.

 

[Hitman]

A) 96 World Cup semi final loss against st Sri Lanka.

 

[Marooned]

The way Ponting decimated India then was unheard of in’s final. Over 300 runs are common now but they were not back in 2003, let alone in a World Cup final. Ponting just obliterated them.

I think this final was right up there but that was just total pwnage

Come on.

That Australia was something else. Deep down every Indian fan would have known that they had zero chance. It can't hurt that bad. That Australia was a god tier team.

 

[BouncerGuy]

That lost against the arch-rivals Pakistan in the final of the Champions Trophy would have hurt more than anything that it did.

 

[Marooned]

The 2023 one takes the cake for sure. A monumental choke for ages. It's like a huge tsunami of expectations came crashing because a bunch of Aussies just refused to buy India's story.