"20-30 runs short": Rohit Sharma admits as India lose World Cup 2023 final

Ahmedabad : In the final battle of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Australia turned out to be the winning side, ending team India's undefeated campaign till semi-finals. With a broken heart, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that they were 20-30 runs short in the game. 

"The outcome didn't favor us. Our performance today wasn't up to par. We gave our best, but it just didn't work out," Rohit expressed during the post-match presentation. "Having 20-30 runs more would have been beneficial. KL and Kohli were building a solid partnership, and we had our sights set on reaching 270-280, but unfortunately, we kept losing wickets."

"With 240 on the scoreboard, the aim is to pick up wickets, but credit to Head and Labuschagne for taking the game away from us. I believe the pitch improved a bit for batting under the lights, although I don't want to use that as an excuse. The main issue was that we didn't score enough runs," he further commented.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also reacted to the events result and said, "Dear Team India, Your talent and determination through the World Cup was noteworthy. You’ve played with great spirit and brought immense pride to the nation. We stand with you today and always."

Put in to bat, India ended up with a below-par 240 despite contributions from Rohit Sharma (47 off 31 balls), Virat Kohli (54 off 63) and K L Rahul (66 off 107). In response, Australia successfully chased the target of 240 runs in 43 overs.