The pre-match talk ahead of the 2023 Cricket World Cup finals circled around whether the men in blue, led by Rohit Sharma, were the strongest Indian ODI team ever. No one bothered with headto-head comparisons between India and Australia; instead, the only match-ups that interested the pundits were 'India in 1983' vs 'India in 2011' vs 'India 2023'. The verdict was unanimous, with scales heavily tilted in favour of the current Indian bunch. But as soon as the dust settled and Australia were crowned six-time world champions, the question that popped up was: 'How will history remember India's class of 2023 after they dominated the tournament so thoroughly, only to fall short at the final hurdle?'
JASPRIT BUMRAH
THE RENEWABLE ROCKET
Jasprit Bumrah's return to international cricket happened just before the World Cup, so there were doubts about him being the same lethal force. However, the wily pacer showed that injuries have not caused him to lose a beat as he was at his imperious best through the course of the tournament-he took 20 wickets at an economy of 4.06 and an average of 18.65. It was not a surprise that he was part of the World Cup best XI team picked by the ICC
"Even if you ask me years later, I'll remember this World Cup for the domination and intimidation of this Indian team over every other team," says Robin Uthappa, member of India's 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team. "They made all of us Indians feel invincible. The past 45 days have been exceptional for Indian cricket." Such sentiments are rarely expressed in cricket-mad India, especially when the country has been starved for an ICC title for over a decade. Yet, this time, that's exactly how 'bleed-blue' faithfuls seem to have responded to India's loss in the finals-perhaps a testament to how good the men in blue were throughout the tournament and the joy fans experienced.
Denne historien er fra December 04, 2023-utgaven av India Today.
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Denne historien er fra December 04, 2023-utgaven av India Today.
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Shuttle Star
Ashwini Ponnappa was the only Indian to compete in the inaugural edition of BDMNTN-XL, a new international badminton tourney with a new format, held in Indonesia
There's No Planet B
All Living Things-Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) returns with 72 films to be screened across multiple locations from Nov. 22 to Dec. 8
AMPED UP AND UNPLUGGED
THE MAHINDRA INDEPENDENCE ROCK FESTIVAL PROMISES AN INTERESTING LINE-UP OF OLD AND NEW ACTS, CEMENTING ITS REPUTATION AS THE 'WOODSTOCK OF INDIA'
A Musical Marriage
Faezeh Jalali has returned to the Prithvi Theatre Festival with Runaway Brides, a hilarious musical about Indian weddings
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
Nikhil Advani’s adaptation of Freedom at Midnight details our tumultuous transition to an independent nation
Family Saga
RAMONA SEN's The Lady on the Horse doesn't lose its pace while narrating the story of five generations of a family in Calcutta
THE ETERNAL MOTHER
Prayaag Akbar's new novel delves into the complexities of contemporary India
TURNING A NEW LEAF
Since the turn of the century, we have lost hundreds of thousands of trees. Many had stood for centuries, weathering storms, wars, droughts and famines.
INDIA'S BEATING GREEN HEART
Ramachandra Guha's new book-Speaking with Nature-is a chronicle of homegrown environmentalism that speaks to the world
A NEW LEASE FOR OLD FILMS
NOSTALGIA AND CURIOSITY BRING AUDIENCES BACK TO THE THEATRES TO REVISIT MOVIES OF THE YESTERYEARS
