Cheers to tears

Does it seem too silly to cry over a cricket match? For your emotions to spill out over the disappointment of a bunch of players in national colours you have nothing in common with, except a passport?

And yet somehow the tears came along.

Euphoria gave way to a mixture of resentment and hopelessness as hundreds of thousands of Indian fans poured out of the Motera stadium in silence, contrasting the jubilant atmosphere about eight hours ago.

For many of them, Sunday's humiliating six-wicket loss accomplished the unthinkable, a disaster even worse than the last time they were stung by Australia's ruthlessness. Back then, it was a 95-run defeat in the semi-final with neither bowling nor batting clicking for India when it mattered the most. This defeat may have been even more scarring because India, a team that outplayed everyone till Sunday, was torn to shreds at the world's biggest cricket ground.

Anger and disappointment among the fans were so intense that it threatened to darken the national mood for some time to come. "There is a sense of desperation," a teary-eyed Vidit Kulkarni, who gave up his job to follow the Indian team all the way from Germany's Munich, told Mid-Day. "It is something without explanation because it is just a cricket match, but for all of us who stay abroad, it is naturally a subject to talk about in life-or-death terms. We take huge pride in its success. Everything is shattered now. How would I face my colleagues there?"

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Once again, India's World Cup ends in the dance the country has come to know better than any other. The players had run out of road, their legs burning and lungs heaving, as they raged against the dying of the light, with fingers already being pointed and blame assigned.

Diksha Seth, who planned to ‘celebrate through the night after India's expected win', said the Blue Army had far outperformed the low expectations of her when the tournament began. "They misread the pitch and blew their chances today. They have been exceptional the whole tournament but at the end of the day, they faltered in the crucial stage and now we lost another trophy. This is by far our worst defeat against Australia," she lamented.

Having braved the long, colourful and festive queues for hours early Sunday to get into the ground, many started leaving the stadium in droves by the 35th over of Australia's chase as the result became obvious, Thousands, meanwhile, were left in frantic search of a new plan for the night ahead.

Sheetal Bakshi, who was inconsolable after India's defeat, couldn't pinpoint what went wrong with the team. "I am so upset right now that I do not wish to take any calls," she said, pointing to her ringing phone. "I want to go back to my hotel room to sleep and not think of this now if possible. I had planned to explore the city for at least two days. My flight tickets are done, so I have to stay here nonetheless. But, I have lost the will to go out and explore," Bakshi added.

Outside the stadium premises, on the packed arterial roads of Motera, the mood was sombre and a far cry from the loud and excited atmosphere before the start of the match. The country came to a standstill as 2pm approached, with roads deserted and shopping centres and eateries abandoned as thousands paid over the odds for travel, hotels and tickets because of high demand.

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Perhaps, many took this to be a magical chance that saw hope spring from the youth and positivity of a plucky side that came to believe in itself yet had a charm that made it so much more likeable than their recent predecessors. But destiny deemed that they would never come close to the finish line, though undefeated. India's chances of ending a global trophy drought since their 2013 Champions Trophy win went up in smoke once Travis Head got going with Marnus Labuschagne.

"The result hasn't gone our way and we know that we were not good enough on the day. But I'm proud of the team," captain Rohit Sharma was quoted as saying. "With 240 on the board, we wanted early wickets but credit to Travis Head and Marnus. They put us completely out of the game and I thought the wicket got better to bat on under the lights."

Their ICC World Cup 2023 campaign ended with a familiar sight, as Sharma left the field in tears, reviving memories of the then captain MS Dhoni's sorrowful reaction to the team's exit in the 2015 World Cup semi-final. Yet though downcast at their defeat, Rohit's men at least have the consolation of knowing that they did everything in their power to work a miracle and squeeze into the final stage.

But destiny is a mysterious force that none can comprehend. "I hate that word", Kulkarni ranted, "Back then in 2015, I cried, now I am furious." "There is no way we could have won today given the conditions, brother. Be calm," said a passerby. Kulkarni said the rout would radically change the way he saw the whole tournament. "The memory of this World Cup will always be tarnished now, at least for me. It will be remembered as a great tragedy," he signed off.