Disappointment, heartbreak, tears and many such emotions took over the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester as the Men in Blue suffered a surprise defeat against New Zealand in the first semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2019.
While Team India performed valiantly throughout the tournament, one player for whom fans were sorry the most was Rohit Sharma.
Rohit enjoyed a sensational campaign for two-time winners India, becoming the first player to score five centuries at one World Cup after a quite brilliant run through the group stage. The opening batsman began the tournament with an unbeaten 122 in the victory over South Africa, before making 57 as India beat Australia at The Oval.
A stunning 140 against Pakistan followed, before Rohit suffered rare failures in the wins over Afghanistan and West Indies. He finished the group stage with scores of 102, 104 and 103 to help India pip Australia to top-spot, setting up a semi-final showdown with fourth-placed New Zealand in Manchester.
He nicked off for just one against the Kiwis, however, as India were eliminated following an 18-run defeat.
“We failed to deliver as a team when it mattered, 30 minutes of poor cricket yesterday & that snatched away our chance for the cup. My heart is heavy as I’m sure yours is too. The support away from home was incredible. Thank you all for painting most of uk blue wherever we played,” tweeted dejected Rohit on Friday.
We failed to deliver as a team when it mattered, 30 minutes of poor cricket yesterday & that snatched away our chance for the cup. My heart is heavy as I’m sure yours is too.The support away from home was incredible.Thank you all for painting most of uk blue wherever we played 🇮🇳
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 11, 2019
Rohit might go on to remain as the top-scoring batsman in the World Cup 2019 with 648 runs considering the next contenders among active players is Joe Root (549 runs) and Kane Williamson (548 runs).
With India’s World Cup exit, Rohit’s wait of lifting the elusive trophy continues. He wasn’t a part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad but has only managed to go till the semi-finals in the 2015 and the 2019 editions.
