“I honestly felt like I didn’t want to play this sport anymore” - Rohit Sharma recalls ODI World Cup 2023 final loss to Australia

Former Indian ODI skipper Rohit Sharma has stated that it was a tough moment for him to lose the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 final against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19.

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In the grand finale of the mega event in November 2023, India could score only 240 runs in the allotted 50 overs. In the chase, Australia sealed the deal with six wickets in hand, courtesy of Travis Head’s 137-run knock off 120 balls.

Speaking at the Masters' Union Convocation 2025 event, Rohit revealed that his only goal was to win a World Cup when he took over India captaincy in 2022. He also went on to add that everyone in the Indian dressing room was extremely disappointed and couldn’t believe what had happened after the heartbreaking loss.

"Everybody was extremely disappointed, and we just couldn’t believe what had happened. It was a very tough time for me personally because I had put everything into that World Cup, not just two or three months before it, but ever since I took over the captaincy in 2022,” Rohit Sharma said.

"My only goal was to win the World Cup, whether it was the T20 World Cup or the 2023 World Cup. So when it didn’t happen, I was completely devastated. There was no energy left in my body. It took me a couple of months to recover and bring myself back," he added.

A few months later, Rohit, who had to reset quickly, steered the Indian T20I side to the T20 World Cup title in June 2024 in Barbados. However, he disclosed that the sting of the loss in the ODI World Cup 2023 was so painful that he felt that he had nothing left to give to the sport. 

"I guess when you invest so much into something and don’t achieve the result, it’s a very natural reaction. That’s exactly what happened with me. But I also knew that life doesn’t end there. It was a big lesson for me how to deal with disappointment, reset, and start fresh. I knew that something else was coming the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies and I had to shift all my focus towards that. It’s very easy to say this now, but at that moment, it was extremely difficult,” he stated.

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"At one point, I honestly felt like I didn’t want to play this sport anymore because it had taken everything out of me, and I felt I had nothing left," he noted.

"It took some time, a lot of energy, and self-reflection to get back. I kept reminding myself that this is something I truly love, that it was right in front of me, and I couldn’t let it go so easily. Slowly, I found my way back putting in the effort, regaining the energy, and getting myself moving again on the field," he concluded.

After winning the T20 World Cup 2024 title, Rohit Sharma bid adieu to the shortest format of the game alongside his teammate Virat Kohli. A few months later, the duo had decided to retire from the longest format of the game as well. They are currently eyeing to play the ICC ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

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