Rohit Sharma Opens Up On 2023 World Cup Final Agony, Retirement Ponderance: 'Felt I Had Nothing Left'
Former India ODI captain Rohit Sharma has brawled with the agony of thrashing in the ODI World Cup at home, revealing he contemplated retirement after Australia's WC final victory in Ahmedabad.
Leading from the front, Rohit had steered India to the final without a defeat in any match, accumulating 597 runs in 11 matches at an average of 54.27 and a strike-rate of 125.94
In the final of the World Cup, played in Ahmedabad on 19 November 2023, Australia outmanoeuvred India, restricting them to a modest 240 runs in 50 overs.
In the chase, hard-hitting batter Travis Head's tumultuous 137 off 120 balls paved the way for Australia's comfortable six-wicket victory in the final, breaking the hearts of the Indians at their home.
Speaking about the heartbreak, Rohit revealed he was devastated, even contemplating retirement. Having assumed the ODI captaincy in 2022, Rohit had his sights on lifting the trophy, but the weight of unfulfilled ambition bore down, leaving him grappling.
"Everybody was extremely disappointed, and we just couldn’t believe what had happened. It was a very tough time for me personally because I had put everything into that World Cup, not just two or three months before it, but ever since I took over the captaincy in 2022," Rohit said at a recent event in Gurgaon.
"My only goal was to win the World Cup, whether it was the T20 World Cup or the 2023 World Cup. So when it didn’t happen, I was completely devastated. There was no energy left in my body. It took me a couple of months to recover and bring myself back," he added.
Rohit admitted, and for a moment, he felt exhausted – emotionally and mentally.
"I guess when you invest so much into something and don’t achieve the result, it’s a very natural reaction. That’s exactly what happened with me. But I also knew that life doesn’t end there. It was a big lesson for me on how to deal with disappointment, reset, and start fresh. I knew that something else was coming at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies, and I had to shift all my focus towards that. It’s very easy to say this now, but at that moment, it was extremely difficult," Rohit said.
"At one point, I honestly felt like I didn’t want to play this sport anymore because it had taken everything out of me, and I felt I had nothing left. It took some time, a lot of energy, and self-reflection to get back. I kept reminding myself that this is something I truly love, that it was right in front of me, and I couldn’t let it go so easily. Slowly, I found my way back, putting in the effort, regaining the energy, and getting myself moving again on the field," said Rohit.