“Even the great man MS Dhoni shed a tear”- Ravi Shastri reveals team India’s emotions after 2019 WC semi-final loss
World Cup 2019 semi-final match was MS Dhoni’s final international game for team India.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri revealed the mood and emotions Indian team went through after their 2019 World Cup semi-finals loss to New Zealand in Manchester. India were beaten by Kiwis despite valiant efforts from Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni chasing 220-odd runs.
Four years after their heartbreaking setback at 2019 World Cup, India will have the opportunity to avenge that loss when they face the same opponents, New Zealand, in the first semi-finals of the ongoing World Cup. India have been unbeaten in the tournament so far, and they are the favorites to defeat Kiwi’s at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
Most of the players from that squad are present. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav.
‘MS Dhoni locked himself away,’ revealed Ravi Shastri
With so much anticipation already surrounding the contest, former Indian coach Ravi Shastri raised the stakes even higher when he recounted how the players, including Dhoni, who was in tears after the loss.
This match proved to be MS Dhoni’s final appearance for India, as he announced his international retirement in 2020.
“I was in that dressing room and I know. Like this year, they finished on top of the table that time as well after the round-robin. Even the great man shed a tear, Ms. He locked himself away but you knew what was going through his mind. So when you play that well and you stumble in the knockout stage, it does hurt. But they would have learned from that mistake. They were 4 years wiser; there are 7 8 players still playing from that squad in this year’s semifinal and I think it will be better from that experience,” Shastri told the host broadcaster ahead of the semi-final.
India were unbeaten in the 2015 World Cup as well, before losing to Australia in the semi-finals. They lost only one game in the league stage of the 2019 World Cup which came against England and then went on to lose the game against New Zealand in the semis. While the fears are obvious, Shastri underlined a couple of factors that make India poised to break free of that dreaded pattern.
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“They are playing at home, which makes a massive difference. When you know your conditions, and you’ve got the support of your crowd, it puts pressure on you alright but it plays a massive part in your favor,” pointed out Shastri.
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