ODI World Cup 2023: 10 heartbreaking pictures in the tournament that made us cry

India

The ODI World Cup 2023 came to an end with Australia defeating India in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, on Sunday, November 19. It was a lopsided contest in the summit clash as on a difficult pitch Australia had the rub of the green going their way.

While Australia celebrated a record sixth World Cup title, millions of hearts of Indian cricket team fans broke as the Men in Blue themselves had a hard time keeping their emotions in check.

Not only some players were crying, but all of them had tears in their eyes and an expression of sadness on their faces.

However, in the aftermath of the tournament, not only the hosts, but many other such heartbreaking moments happened in the entire ODI World Cup and today we take a look at 10 such moments which were captured on cameras.

Here are some ODI World Cup 2023 pictures that stirred plethora of emotions:

1. England’s abysmal World Cup 2023 journey

Jos Buttler

England came into the 2023 edition of the ODI World Cup as the defending champions. They had everything going their way including Ben Stokes returning from retirement to play in this ODI World Cup. They had a couple of injury issues at the start but had a formidable team.

But right from game no.1 against New Zealand, nothing clicked for the England side. The Three Lions achieved the lowest point of their ODI World Cup history when they lost to the minnows in the form of Afghanistan. Perhaps this turned out to be their biggest loss in terms of impact in this edition of the ODI World Cup.

2. Mohammed Siraj consoled by Jasprit Bumrah after India’s semi-final 

Mohammed-Siraj-and-Jasprit-Bumrah. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Mohammed Siraj was a huge support for Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami in the latter half of the ICC World Cup 2023 when India faced some of their biggest challenges. However, despite his wonderful bowling performances, Siraj was plagued with inconsistency. Due to this, it was even thought that Siraj might be replaced with Ravichandran Ashwin in the grand final.

However, Team India still backed Mohammed Siraj over the ace spinner and got the chance to play the final game. But he failed to make the apt impact that was required in the biggest game of his ODI career so far. Consequently, the night ended in tears for the Hyderabad pacer as the hosts were defeated by Australia.

3. Bangladesh’s terrible World Cup campaign

Bangladesh

Neighbouring country Bangladesh came into the ODI World Cup 2023 with lots of potential amid a lot of in-team controversies. The biggest being the saga between Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan. Though the Bangla Tigers started with a win over Afghanistan, they suffered a long line of defeats at the hands of almost every team in the marquee event.

Moreover, their campaign was also plagued by injuries. This led to their biggest player in the form of Shakib Al Hasan handing over the captaincy mantle to Shanto. Consequently, due to the lack of an experienced leader, Bangladesh became the first team to get eliminated from the World Cup semi-final race.

4. KL Rahul’s heartbreaking photo after loss to Australia

KL Rahul

KL Rahul was heartbroken when India lost to Australia in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023. Everyone saw how Rahul fell to his knees and removed his gloves behind the stumps as Maxwell and Marnus celebrated. But another photo emerged of the talented stumper-batter during the post-match presentation.

KL Rahul was spotted sitting on the ground looking completely dejected. Furthermore, the star batter-looking quote numb emotion with a heartbroken expression on his face. Notably, Rahul held one end of Team India’s innings but could not score freely in the final which led to India falling short of a competitive total on the board.

5. Babar Azam’s mournful expression after Pakistan’s loss to Afghanistan

Babar Azam

Pakistan started their ICC World Cup 2023 tournament well with wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. But then everything went southwards. They lost to India, Australia and South Africa. The ‘Green Shirts’ had a chance of redemption against Afghanistan, whom they had defeated not long ago in an ODI series.

In that game, skipper Babar Azam’s 74 led the way to Pakistan’s final total of 282/7 in Chennai. But Afghanistan’s batters stunned them as the top three all made half-centuries and Afghanistan won the game easily with 8 wickets left. Babar Azam had no words at all and left the field with heartbreak on his face. 

6. New Zealand once again succumbed in a knockout game

Kane Williamson

New Zealand came into the ICC World Cup 2023 semi-final in a scratchy way, as they had to win their final league match to qualify. They did so and faced India in Mumbai in the first knockout match. Knowing that they had an upper hand over the Men in Blue, New Zealand looked relieved in the semis.

But then Indian batting showed its might and with Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer hammering tons, India posted 397/4 in 50 overs. In response, though Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson fought back, the total was too much for the Kiwis to chase. As a result, the BlackCaps yet again were left ruing one more chance to storm into the final.

7. South Africa’s another heartbreak in the semi-finals 

South Africa

South Africa who were led by Temba Bavuma, had an excellent ICC World Cup 2023 league stage, barring a glitch as they surprisingly lost to the Netherlands. But then, they managed to qualify for the final, having lost only one more game to the hosts, India. In the semis, they clashed with Australia, who had gathered huge momentum, especially after their stupendous win over Afghanistan. 

Australia bundled South Africa for 212 runs after Bavuma opted to bat first in overcast conditions. In response, South Africa fought back valiantly with their two spinners doing damage. But Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc ensured, that Australia won the match, even by 3 wickets, and proceeded into the finals. This left South African players and fans heartbroken once more, as their semi-final jinx continued.

8. Quinton de Kock’s tearful exit from ODI cricket

Quinton de Kock (Photo Source- Associated Press)

Quinton de Kock shocked the cricketing world ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023 when he announced that this would be his final appearance in the ODI format and that he would retire at the age of 30. Already a legend of South African cricket, De Kock then had probably the best World Cup of his life. The Southpaw scored 594 runs with 4 centuries to his name with a best score of 174. 

He wanted to bid goodbye to the game with South Africa making it into their first World Cup final. But it was not to be as Australia eked by into the summit clash. This meant that De Kock didn’t get the farewell he so richly deserved.

9. Rohit Sharma breaks down after India’s loss in final

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma had given his all to win the ODI World Cup 2023. He looked fitter on the field and planned his crafty yet explosive approach in the powerplay overs. He made 597 runs with 1 century and a couple of half-centuries, going after runs at the start. Had he shown some patience, he would have hit 3-4 centuries easily. 

The ‘Hitman’ even gave India the perfect start in the final, scoring 47 runs in 31 balls. However, his mistake was to keep going like that even when 10 overs were about to be over and lost his wicket on a difficult pitch to a false shot. As he saw Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne snatch away his dream of winning the World Cup, Rohit Sharma couldn’t hide his tears and sadness on the field.

Also Check: List of Rohit Sharma international & IPL centuries

10. Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma’s emotional hug

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma

Apart from Rohit Sharma, star India batter Virat Kohli had it all going for him in the ODI World Cup 2023. He made centuries and half-centuries with ease and won India more than a couple of games. Kohli broke records of Sachin Tendulkar like they were dominoes and completed his 50th ton in the ODI format.

He even fought it out in the final as India found it difficult to bat against Australian bowlers on a tough pitch. When Pat Cummins got him out, it almost needed someone to push Virat Kohli off the crease and towards the pavilion. Though he tried to keep the team’s morale and energy level high, the Delhi-batter didn’t get a response from the Ahmedabad crowd, and his dream of winning the World Cup was over. The way he hugged Anushka Sharma after the match was seemingly quite heartbreaking for all cricket and Virat Kohli fans.

Also Check: List of Virat Kohli international & IPL centuries