NEW DELHI: Mohammed Siraj couldn't hold back his tears after Australia scored the winning runs to win the ICC World Cup on Sunday. India skipper Rohit Sharma rushed out of the field with welled-up eyes. In the end, after a six-wicket defeat in the final, the Indian team was an emotional wreck, as head coach Rahul Dravid revealed after the match.
“Of course, he (Rohit Sharma) is disappointed, as are many boys in the dressing room...There were a lot of emotions in that dressing room. It was tough to see as a coach because I know how hard these guys have worked, what they have put in, the sacrifices they have made," said Dravid, who was part of the team that lost the 2003 World Cup final to Australia.
"It's tough to see...because you get to know these boys personally, you get to see the effort they put in, the hard work that we have put in over the last month, the kind of cricket we have played," said the batting legend.
Despite half-centuries by Virat Kohli (54) and KL Rahul (66), India could only put up 240 on the board after being asked to bat first by Australia skipper Pat Cummins, who won the toss.
India's bowling, which had been the talk of the town in their 10 consecutive wins before losing in the final, had no answer to the skills of Australia opener Travis Head, who scored a 120-ball 137 to take his team to victory with seven overs to spare.
Head added 192 runs with Marnus Labuschagne (58) after Australia's run-chase started on the wrong note, losing three wickets for just 47 runs.
1/10:Head breaks India hearts as Australia win sixth World Cup title
Reuters
2/10:Travis Head's heroic Century
Travis Head's sparkling knock of 137 led Australia to victory in the World Cup final.AFP
3/10:Head & Labuschagne's partnership
Travis Head's marathon stand of 192 with Marnus Labuschagne secured the win for Australia in the final.AFP
4/10:End of India's unbeaten streak
Travis Head's century ended India's dominant run of 10 unbeaten matches at the World Cup.AFP
5/10:'Pinnacle of Cricket'
Captain Pat Cummins describes winning the World Cup as the pinnacle of cricket.AFP
6/10:Head's impact despite injury
Travis Head's match-winning century proved his resilience after recovering from a hand injury.AFP
7/10:India's trophy drought continues
India's hopes of ending their trophy drought since 2013 were dashed by Australia's dominant performance.AFP
8/10:Bowlers set up victory
Australia's bowlers, led by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, played a crucial role in the team's victory.AFP
9/10:Head's century in World Cup final
Travis Head's century became the seventh in a World Cup final and the third by an Australian player.AFP
10/10:India's bowlers struggle
India's bowlers failed to break the partnership between Head and Labuschagne, allowing Australia to take control of the game.PTI"That's sport...It can happen, and the better team won on the day," Dravid added.
"I am sure that the sun will come up tomorrow morning. We will learn from it, we will reflect and we will move on, as will everyone else. I mean that is what you do as sportsman. You have some great highs in sport, and you have some lows in sport. You keep moving on. You don't stop, because if you don't put yourself on the line, you don't put yourself in games like these, you don't experience the great highs, and neither do you experience the great lows. And if you don't do that, you don't learn.”
India had won all their nine league matches to qualify for the semis as the top-placed team on the points table. They defeated New Zealand in the semi-final, but couldn't put it across the Aussies who were clinical in all three departments on the day that mattered the most.
