India’s world cup campaign came to an end on Wednesday after they went down to New Zealand by 18 runs. For the thousands of fans who filled the stadium with a large swath of blue and the millions who tuned to watch their heroes, it was heartbreak. Much was expected from this Indian line up when they landed in England and the boys in blue reciprocated the faith we had on them by topping the league tables. Winning 7 out of 9 games is no ordinary achievement. In doing so, they got the best of world-class sides like Australia, Pakistan, and South Africa.
However, things were to be different when they faced New Zealand. Despite bowling well and restricting New Zealand to 239, our batsmen stumbled in this all-important crucial encounter and were unable to carry on the Midas touch they had. However, it was not a mauling. Ravindra Jadeja’s valiant heroic effort along with the calm and composed innings from the maverick MS Dhoni took us close to victory. New Zealand, however, pulled their socks up and banished them both back to the pavilion to seal the victory. Kudos to the Indian team for their valiant fight till the end.
Though they may have been knocked out of the tourney, the boys in blue won a million hearts during their world cup campaign. Some of the brilliant moments during the world cup are listed below
1. Rohit Sharma’s heroics
With 648 runs in nine innings at an average of 81 and a strike rate of 98.33, Rohit Sharma has been the mainstay of Indian batting line up. The world cup was a perfect platform for the stylish opener to remind the cricketing fraternity that, he is one of the modern day greats. During this amazing journey, he broke the records for the most number of centuries in a single edition of World Cup with 5 centuries. He ended up just a few runs short of breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s 16-year record of 673 runs. Overall, his world cup exploits will remain lingering in the minds of cricket enthusiasts for long.
2. Virat Kohli’s Goodwill
Though he had a modest tournament with 443 runs in nine innings, which fades out in front of the lofty standards that he’s set for himself, Virat Kohli impressed the cricketing fraternity with goodwill and gesture. Whether it’s walking during the game against archrivals Pakistan or urging his followers not to boo Steven Smith, Kohli left an indelible imprint in this tournament. Who can forget the poignant moment when he greeted 87-year-old fan after the game against Bangladesh? Kohli ended the campaign on a high in acknowledging New Zealand’s superior efforts and wishing them good luck.
3. Bumrah Express
One of the best finds in the Indian bowling line up in recent years is Jasprit Bumrah. Bowling with an uncanny style that could even unsettle the best in the business, Bumrah has been outstanding in the past two years earning the tag of No 1 bowler in ODIs. This world cup offered a perfect platform to take his skills to the next level. Mitchell Starc may end up as the best bowler in this series with 27 wickets, however, Bumrah with 18 wickets at a stunning economy rate of just 4.41 was really the pick of bowlers. Bumrah is just 25. He is all set to have a long career ahead.
4. Passionate Fans
Last but not least India’s fervent fans have been amazing throughout the event. Though the world cup was scheduled in England, none of the matches appeared as if they were played abroad as the entire stadium was filled with an ocean of blue. The flags, drums, bodypaints whenever India was playing, the atmosphere was just fantastic. Their unwavering support for the Indian team is really astonishing.
To sum up, though India’s campaign ended on heartbreak, they won a billion hearts with their antics in the field and off the field. With the next world cup scheduled at 2023 in India, there’s plenty of time to rebuild the side and go strong. And you bet India to pull it off in 2023, you better!
Massive World Cup Contests!
India’s World Cup campaign may be over, but the cricket fever is still running high at Deccan Rummy. The passion for Cricket among Indian audience is just amazing which explains full house participation in Howzat rummy tournament and World Cup Leaderboard.
Both the contests have picked up steam and are driving the players to perform at their fullest of abilities. To ensure every player has a chance, the buy-in for the tourney has been low. Hundreds of players are trying their luck every day to grab those amazing prizes on offer! There’s no reason why you can’t win! Pull a chair and put your rummy skills to test and walk away with big wins!
