“We were behind the entire game,” says Rohit Sharma of India’s heartbreaking defeat in the WTC final.

Rohit Sharma led India, which lost the fifth day of the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final. Early in the fifth day of Australia’s attempt to chase down 280 runs, Scott Boland dismissed Virat Kohli as the Aussies quickly cemented their dominance.

In addition, after the first wicket, the complete team was dismissed for 234 runs as the Australian bowlers’ relentless assault proved too much for the Indian team to bear. Australia won the match by a score of 209 runs, securing their first World Test Championship title.

Following the heartbreaking defeat, captain Rohit Sharma took the stage to discuss the game. According to the 36-year-old, India trailed on all four days of play, and their inability to execute their game plan effectively led to their defeat.

“After the first session, we believed we had a good chance of getting them out fast, but Steve Smith and Travis Head performed admirably. We deviated marginally from our plans, failing to execute what we had on a pitch with a great deal of assistance. We failed to accomplish this. We were 160–170 runs behind after the first inn. In the second inning, we wanted to dismiss them as soon as possible,” Rohit Sharma said in the postgame press conference.

“One of the reasons we considered batting last was because we believed the wicket wouldn’t alter much and would continue to improve. We spoke extensively about how we planned to bowl and bat, but we never actually did so. We were four days behind in the game, not knowing what to do or not do,” he added.

In Australia’s second innings, the veteran spinner Nathan Lyon claimed the most wickets with four, dismissing Srikar Bharat, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, and Rohit Sharma. Additionally, Scott Boland claimed three wickets, while Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins each took one.