"...They were slightly better than us": Rohit Sharma opens up on ODI World Cup final loss against Australia
Apr 12, 2024
New Delhi [India], April 12 : India skipper Rohit Sharma opened up on the loss against Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 final on Friday saying that though his side failed to win the cup, they still played some good cricket in the summit clash but Australia turned out to be "slightly better".
Rohit is currently participating in the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The veteran batter has managed to score 156 runs in the five matches he has played so far in the IPL 2024 at an average of 31.20.
The right-hand batter asserted that IPL has become competitive over the years and there is no weak team in the competions as anyone can beat anyone.
"IPL has grown to be so competitive over the years. There is no weak team. Anyone can beat anyone. It was not the case when it started. But there is so much technology available now. Franchises know what holes they have to fill and they do it during the auction," Rohit said on the show 'Breakfast with Champions'.
Further in the show, Rohit talked about his maiden Test ton for India which came at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.
"My first Test ton was in Kolkata at Eden Gardens. It was Sachin's 199th Test. The ground was packed, 70k people," the 36-year-old player asserted.
The veteran cricketer spoke about the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) which is in Australia. He said that MCG is an intimidating venue to play at.
"MCG is the most intimidating venue to play at. We played a Boxing Day Test there. If you're on the right side of it, it is fun, but if you're not, they're going to make your life hell," the Mumbai-born cricketer stated.
Further, he talked about the recently concluded five-match Test series in which India went on to win 4-1.
"When we came up against England, they were playing their cricket differently. Each batter came and challenged us," the IPL champion added.
In the end, Rohit talked about the ODI World Cup 2023 final in which they lost to Australia. He said that we didn't played bad cricket in the final, it was Men in Yellow who played slightly better than India.
"50-over World Cup for me is the actual WC. We have grown up watching it. Moreover, it was happening in India in front of our fans. We played so well untill that final. When we won the semifinal, I thought we were just a step away, we were doing everything right. Not a single thing that could make us lose came to my mind. We ticked all the boxes and played good cricket. Confidence was there. I guess we were supposed to have that one bad day and that turned out to be the final. I don't think we played bad cricket in the final, certain things didn't go our way. But they were slightly better than us," the Mumbai Indians player concluded.
