There is no greater joy in sport than winning a collective trophy. The high of winning a championship is unparalleled. There are so many emotions that drive a narrative. But if you look at the other side of the coin, the ignominy of finishing at the wrong side hurts players big time. The grownup players often give in to emotions. They exhibit humanness despite playing the sport at the highest level. These emotional Cricketing moments have left a lasting impact on the minds of cricket lovers.
We look at few such emotional cricketing moments that left everyone teary-eyed:
#5 South Africa’s exit in 2015 World Cup
South Africa have long had a tryst with ICC tournaments. They have just one single ICC trophy to show for all their cricketing might. It came back in 1998 when they won the inaugural Champions Trophy tournament. They came agonisingly close in the 1999 ODI World Cup wherein they bowed out on net run rate after a ties semifinal. In 2015 they had qualified for the semifinals. It was South Africa’s golden generation. But they again fell short to cross the final hurdle. All South African players were teary-eyed and couldn’t control themselves from letting their emotions out. The picture of a teary-eyed AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, and Morne Morkel left everyone emotional.
#4 India’s semifinal loss in 2019 World Cup
India were one of the favorites heading into the 2019 ODI World Cup. They played like one in the league stage topping the table. But in a rain-hit semifinal that was played across 2 days, New Zealand shocked India. They reduced India’s famed top-order to 5-3 in the opening 4 overs. India recovered some lost ground thanks to MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja’s exploits. But Dhoni’s runout signaled a pool of emotions that Indian fans can never erase from their memories. Rohit Sharma was visibly teary-eyed from the team’s balcony while the supercool Dhoni too shed a tear while walking back to the dressing room.
#3 New Zealand’s super-over loss in 2019 World Cup finals
New Zealand look to staged yet another upset this time in the World Cup finals. They were the team who should have won the trophy considering the position they were in during England’s 48th over of the chase. Trent Boult parried over a six to give Ben Stokes and England a life. An unfortunate overthrow going of Stokes’ bat gave England extra 4 runs. It felt as if fate was against New Zealand that day. The match went all the way down to the last ball of the super over. New Zealand needed 2 runs off the last ball and they managed to level the scores. But they lost out owing to the boundary count. New Zealand players were left inconsolable post the barest of margins defeat.
#2 India’s World Cup win in 2011
India were tipped to win the World Cup in 2011. It was going to be Sachin Tendulkar’s last World Cup, his 6th overall. This was the only trophy that was missing in his illustrious career. No team had won a home World Cup up until then. The pressure was enormous on India to win the cup back after 28 years. India managed to handle expectations and won a glorious final in Mumbai, India. This led to the gamut of emotions as India’s star players broke down post-winning the trophy. These were grownup players who were shedding happy tears. It was an image for the ages.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement in 2013
Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement is probably the most celebrated retirement of all time. Tendulkar became the only player to have played 200 Tests in cricketing history. India were slated to play West Indies for a 2-match Test series in Kolkata and Mumbai. Mumbai being Tendulkar’s home ground made for dramatic scenes. The Indian team gave Tendulkar a rolling walk of honour. Tendulkar couldn’t control his emotions nor could the players. But it was his historic speech that left his family, cricketing fans, fellow players, experts all with a lump in their throats. Tendulkar failed to rein in his emotions on the last day of his international cricket.
For more Emotional Cricketing Moments that are not added in this list
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