EDITORIAL - End of A Dream Run

End of dream run
End of a dream run: On the World Cup final

India came up short against Australia despite starting as the favourites
Two decades apart, India again ran into Australia in a World Cup final and the result was the same.
In the 2003 edition’s climax at Johannesburg, Ricky Ponting’s men were an overwhelming
opposition. The latest summit clash at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium proved no different
as Pat Cummins and his men remained equally indomitable. In both championships, the force
seemed to be with India until the final hurdle. Sourav Ganguly then, Rohit Sharma now, are the
anguished captains. The Men in Blue were in terrific form all through this World Cup, the batters
and bowlers had this aura of invincibility, 10 matches were won on the trot and even Australia
was vanquished in the early part of the campaign. To defeat all rivals in a round-robin league phase
reflected India’s consistency but as Australia showed yet again, finals of multi-team ICC events
throw up unique challenges. The men from Down Under have now won six World Cups and
Cummins, their current skipper, has grown in stature. Sunday’s final on a sluggish pitch with dry
spots affected India’s free-flowing batters. Even if Rohit, Virat Kohli and K.L. Rahul scored, the
others found their timings going awry. A total of 240 was not enough to test the Australians later at
night especially with the dew kicking in.
Reducing Australia to 47 for three, India had a window of opportunity but Travis Head shut that
door, with one of the finest tons in the history of World Cup finals. The southpaw’s 137 will be
spoken about for long. But perhaps the game’s turning point was when he took a diving catch to end
Rohit’s belligerent knock: India froze. Australia’s great win leaned heavily on its incredible
fielding. When Allan Border lifted the World Cup at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens in 1987, it signalled a
new phase of Australian dominance. With Cummins doing the same, it just reiterated his nation’s
leading position in cricket. Meanwhile, Kohli found no consolation in winning the Player of the
Tournament award and coach Rahul Dravid spoke about emotions running high in the Indian
dressing room. Playing that 2003 final, and having now observed how his wards ran into the Aussies
all over again, Dravid was full of empathy. This World Cup could be the last for a golden generation
of Indian stars as Rohit, Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin and a few others are unlikely to be
around for the 2027 edition at South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. India’s ICC title drought since
2013 continues but there was no shame in the latest defeat as the better team won.
1. run (noun) – a continuous series of performances; form.
2. came up short (phrase) – to fail to win/achieve something.
3. run into (phrasal verb) – meet with, encounter, be faced with, run up against.
4. overwhelming (adjective) – very strong, forceful, profound, formidable, irresistible.
5. summit clash (noun) – final match.
6. indomitable (adjective) – unconquerable, invincible, unbeatable, unshakeable, unyielding,
lionhearted, strong-willed, strong-minded, determined, resolute, mettlesome.
7. hurdle (noun) – obstacle, difficulty, problem, barrier, impediment, obstruction, hindrance.
8. anguished (adjective) – distressed, broken-hearted, unhappy, sad, heartbroken, devastated.
9. all through (phrase) – throughout, all along, all the time, all over, completely, right through.
10. aura (noun) – atmosphere, quality, aspect, character, feeling/mood, spirit.
11. invincibility (noun) – unconquerability; unbeatable & powerful quality.
SK ENGLISH CLASSES BY KULDEEP NAGPAL (9992888874) Source: The Hindu

End of dream run
12. on the trot (phrase) – in succession, one after the other, in a row, consecutively, successively.
13. vanquish (verb) – conquer, defeat, crush, quell, overcome.
14. rival (noun) – opponent, competitor, contestant.
15. round-robin (noun as modifier) – a competition in which each contestant meets every other
participant, usually in turn.
16. league (noun) – championship, competition, contest.
17. reflect (verb) – indicate, show, display, demonstrate, reveal, exhibit.
18. throw up (phrasal verb) – produce something.
19. Down Under (noun) – it refers to Australia and New Zealand, or the Pacific island countries
collectively.
20. stature (noun) – reputation, image, status, position, prominence.
21. sluggish (adjective) – slow, slow-moving, dull.
22. free-flowing (adjective) – smooth and fluent; smoothly elegant or graceful.
23. go awry (phrase) – not happen as planned.
24. kick in (phrasal verb) – begin, start; come into effect.
25. window of opportunity (phrase) – a short period of time in which one has a chance to do/achieve
something; chance, lucky chance, good time, golden opportunity, suitable time/moment,
opportune occasion.
26. slam/shut the door on (phrase) – to refuse to consider/accept something (an idea, plan,
solution, etc.); deny, reject, decline, spurn, dismiss (an idea/plan/solution).
27. southpaw (noun) – a left-hander.
28. belligerent (adjective) – threatening, aggressive, bellicose, combative, hawkish.
29. knock (noun) (in cricket) an innings.
30. froze past tense of freeze (verb) – stop, stand still, become paralysed.
31. lean on (phrasal verb) – depend on, rely on, bank on, count on.
32. heavily (adverb) – very much.
33. incredible (adjective) – magnificent, spectacular, remarkable, amazing, extraordinary,
impressive, outstanding, phenomenal, mind-blowing.
34. reiterate (verb) – say something again; say again, repeat, retell, restate, iterate, recapitulate.
35. consolation (noun) – comfort, solace, compassion, sympathy, moral support, relief,
encouragement, easement.
36. run high (phrase) – (of emotions) be intense.
37. ward (noun) – pupil, trainee, minor (under the care and control of a guardian).
38. empathy (noun) – affection, fellow feeling, understanding, like-mindedness, compassion.
39. unlikely (adjective) – doubtful, implausible, improbable, questionable.
40. drought (noun) – dry spell, dry period; lack, unavailability, deficiency of something
(silverware/trophy/cup).
SK ENGLISH CLASSES BY KULDEEP NAGPAL (9992888874) Source: The Hindu

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End of dream run

End of a dream run: On the World Cup final

SK ENGLISH CLASSES BY KULDEEP NAGPAL (9992888874) Source: The Hindu

SK ENGLISH CLASSES BY KULDEEP NAGPAL (9992888874) Source: The Hindu

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