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Cricket Players'MS Dhoni locked himself away...': Shastri says MSD 'shed a tear' after last India vs New Zealand World Cup semi-final
The entire team, including MS Dhoni, couldn't control their tears after the 2019 World Cup semifinal loss.
Four years since their heart-wrenching defeat at the 2019 World Cup, India have a chance to avenge that loss when they take on the same opponents, New Zealand in the first semi-final of the 2023 World Cup. India have been unbeaten thus far in the tournament, and start favourites to clip Kiwi wings at Mumbai's Wankhede, but this is the BlackCaps we are talking about, who have always had the wood over India. Then again, none of the New Zealand teams of the past have come up against an Indian unit quite like this.
As the lion fell inches short, leading to a nation-wide heartbreak, it marked the end of MS Dhoni's international career. As India lost by 18 runs, Team India, a bunch of adults, broke into child-like tears, and it was justified. They had finished as the top team after the league stage and the World Cup was theirs for the taking. '40 minutes of bad cricket' and their World Cup dreams went up in smoke.
Most of the players from that squad are here. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav want to right the wrongs from 2019 Manchester. With already so much hype surrounding the contest, former India coach Ravi Shastri scaled it even further, when he recalled how the guys, including Dhoni, were in tears and backed this Indian team to finish the story.
Also Read: India vs New Zealand Live Score World Cup 2023 Semifinal
"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. And even the great man shed a tear, MS Dhoni. 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 learnt 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 host broadcaster ahead of the semi-final.
Yes, the similarities are surreal. India were unbeaten in 2015 World Cup as well, before losing to Australia in the semi-final. Yes, they haven't won an ICC trophy in 10 years. And yes, they are facing a team that has made the final of three World Cups in the last 8 years. But on the other hand, India have beaten New Zealand this year – thrice in a bilateral at home for a 3-0 sweep and most recently, in the league stage of the World Cup just last month. While the fears are obvious, Shastri underlined a couple of factors that make India poised to break-free of that dreaded pattern.
"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 favour," pointed out Shastri.
