Rohit Sharma’s legacy was on the cusp of reaching stratospheric heights. Now, a great career will forever carry a what-if clause. Aadya Sharma, in Ahmedabad, writes on a World Cup final defeat that will rankle with regret.

Unfinished business remains unfinished. Probably will, forever.

A month and a half ago, facing a room full of reporters in Chennai, Rohit Sharma proclaimed that the World Cup was his one great mission unaccomplished.

“You heard the great man say so many times that until he wins the World Cup, he’s got a bit of unfinished business,” Rohit said. “I’m sure you know who I’m talking about.”

The ‘great man’ could have been Lionel Messi, but it was likelier to be Sachin Tendulkar, another grand ODI opener, India’s greatest ever, whose quest ended 22 years after he first wore an India kit. That made the legend’s career even sweeter: you don’t want superstars to have an asterisk next to their achievements.

Rohit himself doesn’t need many more reasons to be termed a one-day giant himself. As an opener, he’s close to reaching nine thousand runs – no one in history, with at least 3000 runs, averages above 50. Only Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have hit more centuries for India. Most can only dream of an ODI double ton. He has three.

There’s no imminent indication of retirement, so there will be revisions to those numbers. But it’s very likely that he shall live on without a World Cup trophy in his cabinet. He’s regards it as the biggest prize, “top of the pile” among all the other cricketing silverwares. By next World Cup, he would turn 40. This was the last dance. This was the last chance.

It’s a terrible near-miss: India didn’t scratch through to the final, they waltzed through, beating every opposition there was to offer. Some needed a little work, but most were comprehensive. The chorus outside grew only louder with each win, but Rohit and team remained quietly focussed. There were no big words, no show of strength, no jitters even. Just carefully crafted words, only drawing the curtain slightly and giving the world a little peek into India’s cohesive, world-beating unit that just couldn’t stumble.

The sentiment seeps out of Rohit, the captain himself: remarkably disengaged to big occasions, rarely flustered if things are slipping away, and always on top of his plan, tactically, analytically and emotionally. This World Cup spotlit it further.

“He’s been an exceptional leader”, noted coach Rahul Dravid. “He’s led this team fantastically well. He’s given so much time and energy in this dressing room to the boys, been available for conversations and any of our meetings.”

In the final chase, Rohit, the skipper, was too hard to not miss on the field. His head would keep moving around, surveying each position, making active changes. He’d be around the bowler, sticking in his advice along with a free ball-shine. When Mohammed Siraj dived, he’d jog to pat his back. When Bumrah conceded a four, he quietly chatted with him. While Kohli, his predecessor, clapped at the crowd from slip and asked them to cheer, Rohit was silently gliding at mid-off, completely switched away from the near-lakh population around him, religiously tuned into his job.

It felt like he was mechanically configured to operate under any requirement, at any level of stress. Winning five IPL trophies probably does the to you. The team looked so comfortable in their skin, a bunch that had eerily forgotten how to lose.

Missed out in World Cup 2011.
330 runs in World Cup 2015.
648 runs in World Cup 2019.
597 runs in World Cup 2023.

Rohit Sharma has given everything but this picture is painful. pic.twitter.com/cOeP1bdg0T

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 19, 2023

Aside from leading the team to ten straight wins, Rohit was arguably India’s most important batter: the World Cup’s second-highest run-scorer, he struck at 135 in the powerplay, the most by any opener with 20 runs this World Cup. No other captain has had a higher tally in a World Cup edition. And among those to average over 50 in an edition, only AB de Villiers, Brendan Taylor and Kapil Dev have higher strike rates.

He was so committed to a method of batting that presented high risk, but hardly ever dropped that outlook.

“We wanted to play a positive attacking brand of cricket. And he was very committed to doing that,” said Dravid. “And he wanted to lead by example”. For a player who had basically rewritten how one-day innings should be constructed, it’s been amazing to witness a gameplay shift so drastic and effective, that too at this point of Rohit’s career.

In 2011, a 23-year-old Rohit Sharma had famously tweeted after missing out on a World Cup spot. “Really really disappointed”, he had said, “calling it a big setback” that he had to move on from. He later revealed he watched none of India’s matches barring the semis and final, hurt by not being part of the group that struck gold.

Really really disappointed of not being the part of the WC squad..I need to move on frm here..but honestly it was a big setback..any views!

— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) January 31, 2011

A day before the 2023 final, Rohit refused to talk about that phase of his life: “I don’t want to go back there. It was a very emotional period,”Rohit said. “I’m sure everyone knows about it. It was a very hard time”.

“I don’t want to go too up. Don’t want to go too low. Just nice and balanced,” he said for the day to follow.

India did go a little up, and then a little down, but it left Rohit weeping again.

The emotionally stoic captain broke down, eyes red and moist, sunken shoulders, head bent as he walked away, further and further away from the trophy. Sentiments weren’t detached anymore. The machine was grieving. The World Cup shirt, once a dream in itself, was now being used to wipe away tears.

Bookended by the two home World Cups has been a mighty one-day career, but one that will always singe with regret.

Ten victories didn’t amount to the silverware. One loss killed the dream. Rohit Sharma will always be one heck of a player. He’ll be remembered as a great captain. Sadly, business will remain unfinished. Some things just aren’t meant to be.

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