India’s World Cup dream ended with a painful 18-run defeat to New Zealand on Wednesday after the Kiwis’ bowlers ran riot in a rain-affected World Cup semi-final.
Rain forced the game into the reserve day with New Zealand at 211/5 after 46.1 overs. After the restart, the Kiwis added 28 runs to give India a challenging total of 240 on a wicket that was two-paced in nature.
India lost their top three batsmen for five runs and their chase never really recovered until Ravindra Jadeja and Mahendra Singh Dhoni launched a remarkable late fightback.
However, it wasn’t enough as New Zealand booked their place in their second-successive final by closing out the win in the final over of the game.
Read: Would’ve been criminal to waste his finishing skills: Shastri defends holding back Dhoni
The defeat left Indian players and its fans heartbroken after a period or poor cricket ended their dreams despite an excellent two years for the team ahead of the World Cup.
As the dust settled on the loss, Indian players reacted and thanked fans for their immense support.
We failed to deliver as a team when it mattered, 30 minutes of poor cricket yesterday & that snatched away our chance for the cup. My heart is heavy as I’m sure yours is too.The support away from home was incredible.Thank you all for painting most of uk blue wherever we played 🇮🇳
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 11, 2019
Firstly I want to thank all our fans who came in huge numbers to support the team. You made it a memorable tournament for all of us & we definitely felt the love showered upon the team. We are all disappointed & share the same emotions as you. We gave everything we had.Jai hind🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/rFwxiUdqK5
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 10, 2019
A big thank you to all my team members, our coaches, support staff, our families and most importantly to all the undying support from all of you! We gave it everything we had! 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/nXp9GmWhIK
— Jasprit Bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) July 11, 2019
Sports has taught me to keep on rising after every fall & never to give up. Can’t thank enough each & every fan who has been my source of inspiration. Thank you for all your support. Keep inspiring & I will give my best till my last breath. Love you all pic.twitter.com/5kRGy6Tc0o
— Ravindrasinh jadeja (@imjadeja) July 11, 2019
We had one goal, to win the world cup but we fell short. Can't describe the emotions, but a very big thank you to the fans who were and always are behind us. Jai hind 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/3ll0MZq0rx
— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) July 10, 2019
My country, My Team... My honour 🇮🇳
— Rishabh Pant (@RishabPant777) July 11, 2019
Could not be more grateful for the opportunity and even more for the belief and love the entire nation has shown us as a team 🙏🏻❤ We will be back stronger 🙌🏻#JaiHind #Strongertogether #bleedblueforever pic.twitter.com/HZ6ac1lX53
Heartbreaking that our dreams have come to an end. As a team and as a nation we've stood strong together through the last 6 weeks. Big thank you and lots of love to everyone. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/nJOcXjPPJu
— K L Rahul (@klrahul11) July 11, 2019
It's been a dream for me to represent my country in the World Cup. It's very disappointing to not be on the winning side, but the entire experience has taught me a lot, and it was a moment of pride to play alongside this wonderful team and support staff. pic.twitter.com/rEX1ycOdrQ
— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) July 11, 2019
Thank you everyone for your constant support and love #1million 🇮🇳🧡💚 pic.twitter.com/SC8Xcsmmhj
— Mohammad Shami (@MdShami11) July 11, 2019
Memories.. memories to last a lifetime. My first World Cup didn't have the ending we wanted but it's given me so many emotions and lessons that I'll always keep with me. Thank you to everyone part of this special team including you the fans, we're nothing without you 🇮🇳❤ pic.twitter.com/ZfECdrL2Rt
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) July 11, 2019