Mumbai: Former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri was in his usual self on Monday afternoon inside the premises of the iconic Wankhede Stadium when he remarked that India's loss at the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 final against Australia was heartbreaking but in the same vein stressed that the Men in Blue would be a series challengers for the next T20 World Cup.
"Nothing comes easy -- even the great man Sachin Tendulkar had to wait (for) six World Cups to win one. You don't win (a) World Cup (easily), to win a World Cup you have got to be damn good on that big day," Shastri, also a noted commentator, said. The former Mumbai player was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the inaugural season of the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL) in the presence of BCCI Treasurer Ashish Shelar and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) President Amol Kale.
Australian opener Travis Head broke a million hearts as Australia clinched their sixth ODI World Cup title by trouncing India in the final of the coveted tournament which was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19.
Shastri said that Australia played their A-game when it mattered the most - in the semi-final against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and the final against the Rohit Sharma-led side. "What you do earlier does not count, on that big day, that is when you rise to the occasion. Even before the start of the tournament, you knew, what happens (in terms of the format).
"Early doors (are there), (and) once top four teams are there, in the semifinal and final. Those two days if you perform, you win. And those were the two days when Australia performed when they came from nowhere," said Shastri, a veteran of 80 Tests. Australia, led by Pat Cummins, had started their World Cup campaign on a disastrous note after losing two successive games - against India in Chennai and against South Africa at Lucknow.
"They (Australia) lost the first two, but on the D-day, the two days, they did," Shastri quipped. He termed India's campaign in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 as fabulous. “It (India's campaign) was fabulous. To be honest, it still hurts from the outside that we (India)could not win the cup because we were the strongest team…The way the bowling stood up towards the mid-stage of the tournament you thought they had a great, great chance (to win the World Cup),” added Shastri.
The former right-handed batter, however, felt India have got a chance to lift the ICC T20 World Cup, which will be played in the Caribbean and the United States of America (USA) in June 2024. "It (the loss) was heartbreaking but (a) lot of our guys will learn, the game moves on, (and) I see India winning a World Cup very soon," Shastri said.
"It might not be a 50-overs (one) that easily because you have to rebuild the side, but 20-overs cricket, the very next one India will be very serious challengers because you have got the nucleus, this is a shorter format of the game. Your focus should be on that." For the record, Shastri was part of the Indian team led by Kapil Dev, which won the 1983 World Cup by defeating mighty West Indies in the final at Lord's.
Also read:
