An Indian newspaper has hailed Rohit Sharma’s team as ‘champions’ despite falling short in their quest for World Cup glory against Australia in Sunday’s final.
India entered the match as clear favorites having won their previous ten matches at the tournament, progressing through the group stages and then past New Zealand in the semi-finals.
However, they were soundly beaten in front of almost 100,000 of their own fans in Ahmedabad as Travis Head produced a stunning century to guide his side to a six-wicket victory and their sixth ODI World Cup.
India have failed to win a world title since the 2013 Champions Trophy, but are still being praised for their efforts this time.
The Hindustan Times ran a headline “Champions Nevertheless” above a photo of a sea of Indian fans cheering on their side.
The Hindustan Times has labeled India as ‘champions’ despite their World Cup final loss to Australia
Rohit Sharma’s side were comprehensively defeated after starting the final as clear favourites
Australia held their sixth ODI World Cup in front of 100,000 fans in Ahmedabad
They also labeled Australia as ‘a different animal’ when it comes to the finals after Pat Cummins’ men once again peaked at just the right time.
Cummins led from the front on the biggest stage, taking the crucial wickets of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer after making the brave decision to bowl first as India were bowled out for 240.
Head went on to dominate the chase after only joining the squad halfway through the tournament following his recovery from a broken hand.
The Times of India recognized Head’s enormous contribution to the final, and also claimed that the Indian players were ‘heroes’ regardless of their defeat.
Their headline read: ‘Crown on Australia’s head, heartbreak for our heroes’.
Over the past decade, India has made a habit of reaching the latter stages of tournaments without crossing the finish line.
They will get another chance to end their trophy drought next June when they take part in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.
The Times of India labeled the Indian players as ‘heroes’ after their heartbreaking defeat