Masti and Short Stories with the ICT

CWC Final 💔

Didn't think I would be writing this update with such a heavy heart. Yes we lost, but I could not be more prouder of our boys. 

India and ICC events are quite a story, no matter how well we play there will always be that one game or one moment in the game that will go against us. 

Before the game started I was nervous but deep down in my heart, I had faith that we would pull through. When we lost the toss I was a bit down I wanted India to bowl first, but I guess we work with what we have. 

When Rohit and Shubman came to bat, the way Rohit started gave lots of hope but then Shubman played that shot and lost his wicket in the 5th over made me nervous, I was hoping for a big RohiRat partnership but as luck would have it Rohit lost his wicket at 47. 

I then hoped that Shreyas and Virat would carry on strong but Shreyas played a shot and got out. In retrospect, I wish he took a couple of balls to adjust add some runs to score and then once settled attack. 

Losing Rohit and Shreyas back to back was what really hurt us. The partnership between Kohli and Jadeja again gave some hope but when they were about to start attacking we again lost a wicket, and this time we lost Virat. Losing Virat was big too because he is the guy who has stood till the end in most of the tournament and got us enough runs to fight. 

But again Rahul is another player who has done that with Virat so hope was still alive, Jaddu did well too, but as luck would have it we lost Jaddu's wicket too. When SKY started batting he wasn't able to play the way he does because the bowlers were not giving him much pace that he could use. He too got out soon and then came our lower order, they added a few runs but unfortunately, we were short. 

After the first inning ended I knew we were at least 40 runs short. But I had hope that our fab 5 would get us close and with a little bit of luck we can cross the line. 

We got a start 47-3 was good but had we gotten another one before Labuschagne and Head had settled the story could have been a bit different, who knows one can only wish. The partnership that Head and Labuschagne built was what hurt us really badly. 

Our bowling was good, but the total we had was too low and unfortunately didn't give our bowlers enough to work with. 

Overall our boys played well, but the Aussies outplayed us. It was not our day right from the toss, but we still gave all that we could. 

This CWC campaign has been phenomenal! Winning 10 matches in a row, with huge margins and only a couple of games going down to the wire is great. Each and Every player in our team is special and holds a special place in our hearts, we have and will continue to back our boys. 

Thank you so much ICT for giving us a memorable World Cup, even though we didn't win the final there are so many memories we will take with us. Thank you for making this October and November fun, thank you for helping me forget college stress for some time and refresh my mind by just enjoying the game. 

This World Cup is special in so many ways, this is the first ODI World Cup that I have fully followed, in 2011 when India won I only remember watching the final, and Dhoni hitting that 6. I was pretty young and didn't follow or understand cricket back then, I just watched when my parents would, but now when I'm older I choose to watch the game for our team and simply for the love of the game.  

I know that many online posts have been saying that this is Rohit, Virat, Jaddu, and Ashwin's last dance, but I really hope that it's the last dance for ODI World Cups and not anything else. I am not ready to let them go yet, I want all of them at least till 2026, it would be great if they play longer but before then it's too soon for us fans. 

I know this loss will be hard to put behind us but we have to. Let's regroup and come back stronger than ever and hopefully next year ICT will lift the T20 WC trophy. 

Lastly, I just want to say that I love ICT and will always support them, since 2021 this team is THE reason I watch cricket. These boys are the reason I carve out time from my schedule to make sure I can catch their games, even if it's for just an hour or so. I hope our ICT reaches great heights and continues to dominate world cricket the way we have been. 

On a lighter note, I genuinely don't know what I'll watch until the next IND series starts. 

I know this loss was tough on all of us and we all want to discuss the game but Twitter has too much toxicity, so please feel free to share your thoughts and concerns in the comments below. 

Until Next Time 👋🏼