Former cricketers and fans extended their support to captain Rohit Sharma after India’s heartbreaking six-wicket defeat in the final of the World Cup 2023.

The visuals of Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Siraj crying after a crushing loss in the final broke hearts irrespective of which side you were on. India were by far the best side in the tournament leading up to the summit clash, with ten wins on the trot, including a semi-final victory against their bogeyman New Zealand.

While the stage was set for them in a packed Narendra Modi Stadium to put an end to their much-awaited ICC trophy drought, they fell short at the last hurdle with a defeat to Australia, who extended their record trophy tally to six.

Rohit led India to one of the most dominant runs in the history of the tournament, setting the tone on numerous occasions with aggressive batting from the outset, Nasser Hussain had hailed him as the “genuine hero” of his side.

After the final, Kapil Dev was part of the cricket fraternity who empathised with Rohit, asking him to cheer up.

“Rohit, you are a master at what you do. You have a lot of success awaiting you. It’s tough I know but keep your spirits up. India is with you,” Kapil Dev shared on his Instagram story.

 

Instagram story by Kapil Dev for Captain Rohit Sharma.

– A beautiful gesture 👌 pic.twitter.co=m/2Kkz7rcXBj

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 20, 2023

We can try to summon empathy, but we can’t even get close to experiencing the highs and lows of sportspeople. That’s their reward, and their burden https://t.co/Ep3YLnhfqC

— Sambit Bal (@sambitbal) November 20, 2023

Yes Australia won but The brand of Cricket that Rohit Sharma’s Indian team played is the reason ODI cricket got its sparkle back. Stellar leadership. Thank you #RohitSharma . Special salute to Indian pace bowlers as well ❤️

— Vikram Sathaye (@vikramsathaye) November 19, 2023

I won’t take criticism of Rohit Sharma. It was his dynamic leadership, tactical nous, ability to hold team together and blazing batsmanship got India this far. In fact the template he created provides vision for India to be even more creative & stronger in white ball cricket

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) November 19, 2023

As I’ve said we are a champion team irrespective. So chin up boys….Many many congrats to Australia!

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) November 19, 2023

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