As Vicky Kaushal rightly said in Masaan — Ye dukh kaahe khatam nahi hota! (Why does this suffering never end!). It has been a week and fans across the country still continue to relate to this line more than anything. India’s near-perfect campaign fell painfully short as they crashed to a defeat against Australia on Sunday. To help cope with the blues, we bring you a platter of reels, tinged with a variety of emotions, which capture the essence of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Final in Ahmedabad and the moments following it.
Maxi at the wheel again
For a run-scoring juggernaut of the shortest format of the game, Maxwell’s poorest run of form was criticised across all quarters where his average dropped to an all-time low last year. With his place up for debate in the playing XI, Maxwell suffered a freak injury and was out for a prolonged period of time. However, destiny had something else planned for Maxi, as he capped off this World Cup by becoming one of the star Aussie performers in their tournament-winning campaign. How do the dots connect? The last two ICC finals won by Australia (the 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup and the 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup) were both clinched with Maxi hitting the winning runs for the Kangaroos, as captured in this reel.
Deja vu
It seemed like a divine plan all along. As Kohli scored his record-breaking 50th ODI hundred in the semi-final match against New Zealand, he made sure he tipped his hat to the person whose record he not only scaled, but broke, with Sachin Tendulkar present in the crowd to witness history at his home stadium. However, for many, it was an agonising case of deja vu when Kohli, with a record-breaking 765 runs in his bag, was announced as the player of the tournament following India’s loss in the final. The pangs of 2003 rushed back, recalling the time when Tendulkar took home the player of the tournament award after scoring 673 runs in the tournament. On both occasions, Tendulkar and Kohli collected their awards only to walk past the ultimate trophy with similarly dejected faces.
The one with the medal
What started off as a dressing room ritual for the Indian team at the World Cup this year became a dearly awaited segment for fans across the country. Following every game, India’s fielding coach, T. Dilip, presented the best fielder of the match with a medal. The dressing room hyped it up with the players eagerly awaiting the announcement after every match. Dilip made it a treat for the players and the fans, by finding a new way to announce the winner each time — from announcing it on the digital display board or having a drone come down to reveal the winner to having Tendulkar announce it via a video. This reel captures the journey inside the dressing room and the final day of this endearing dressing room ritual following the loss in the final.
Meme recap
Anyone who has been following Aatman Desai on Instagram knows the spectacular comic timing in his reels. His series on the World Cup, especially the meme recaps after every match where he rhymed each line with a catchphrase from a meme, went viral over the past few weeks. The other ones which make one go ROFL are his Hindi commentary recaps after every match and the ones where he mimics people from south Bombay (Sobo) and Gujaratis reacting in different situations. The one he put up after the final perfectly summarised the feeling of fans following India’s defeat. Nothing like humour when it comes to soothing a heartbreak!
A galaxy of stars
The final had its share of glitz as numerous celebrities were spotted at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Seated at his eponymous arena was the Prime Minister himself as well as Home Minister Amit Shah, along with Shah Rukh Khan, Asha Bhosle, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, among others. It was an animated celebrity box with multiple moments captured on camera, including King Khan’s humble and heartwarming act of carrying Bhosle’s tea cup, Ranveer’s celebrations and comforting the crowd with his confidence, Deepika’s aww-so-cute moment with Abram, Shah Rukh’s youngest boy, and much more.
Picture perfect
There could have been no better way to get the ball rolling on the day of the final than for Tendulkar to carry the trophy and plant it on the dais in front of a 100,000 fans in Ahmedabad. In a picture perfect moment shortly after, this reel captured the Master Blaster gifting Kohli a signed jersey of his from his 2011 World Cup campaign with a personalised message that read: “You make us proud!”
