India vs Australia ICC World Cup 2023 Final : Lets dive into A bit of History

At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Australia overcame India in a lopsided final to win the ODI World Cup for the sixth time. India, who were vying for their third one-day international world championship, were far from their best in a competition that they had dominated by winning nine out of nine games in the group stage and then thrashing New Zealand in an exciting semifinal at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.

Australia had won three World Cups in a row, in 1999, 2003, and 2007, after taking home the trophy in 1987. Australia recovered to win the World Cup at home in 2015 after losing to eventual champions India in the quarterfinals of the 2011 tournament.

Australia had one of their most memorable World Cup runs in 2023 after winning nine straight games after losing their opening two to South Africa and India.

Australia had won the 2003 ODI World Cup after defeating India in the final. Indian supporters were hoping for retribution for that loss from 20 years prior, but it was not to be. After Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss and choose to bowl, India’s batters, who were in unbelievable form, were unable to muster any resistance. Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Suryakumar Yadav were unable to make any kind of impression, while Rohit Sharma struck a quick 47. In a 107-ball 66, KL Rahul managed just one four, but Virat Kohli, who scored 54, took his foot off the pedal.

Australia’s hitters, on the other hand, were extremely aggressive. A clinical Australian pursuit was capped off with a century from Travis Head, who was well supported by a good half-century from Marnus Labuschagne. Australia was now down to 47 for 3, but Head and Labuschagne made sure there were no interruptions.

Australia got off to a spectacular start in their chase, scoring 15 runs off of Jasprit Bumrah’s opening over. Australia sprinted to 28 for 1 at the end of two overs, despite the fact that Mohammed Shami, rather than the usual Mohammed Siraj, took the crucial wicket of David Warner in the second over.

Indian hopes were raised when Jasprit Bumrah removed Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith in back-to-back overs. Smith was given a tap on the pads and left the pitch after wanting to dispute the LBW decision. According to replays, the hit went outside of the off-stump, and Smith would have been left regretting his choice to forgo using the DRS.

An assertive Travis Head, who struck 163 for Australia against India in the World Test Championship final earlier this year, was the ideal partner for an aggressive Marnus Labuschagne.

On Sunday, Travis Head persisted in his onslaught and put Australia in position for win while Marnus Labuschagne took his time and dug in. Head became the third opener to score fifty and a hundred in the men’s ODI World Cup semifinal and final, and the seventh batter to make a century in a World Cup final.

On the pitch, India’s body language was lacking. The fielding was subpar, far from the excellent standards they had established during the World Cup. Although Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah took early wickets, they also gave up far too many runs when the ball was new. Mohammed Siraj, the final candidate, and Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav never received the opportunity they would have anticipated.

A few people were taken aback by Pat Cummins’s choice to bowl first after winning the toss. In the quarterfinal match at Eden Gardens against South Africa, the Australians came dangerously close to losing their chase. Anyone who watched the 2003 World Cup final will recall Sourav Ganguly’s fatal error of bowling first after winning the toss.

SMALL APPROACH WHEN USING THE BAT?

Even Pat Cummins began to question his choice to bowl on a slow pitch, maybe after Rohit Sharma began the competition the way he has. When Rohit faced Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, the two bowlers who had just days before devastated the South African top order in Kolkata, he was aggressive. The sound was unbearable, and it appeared that Australia would crumble under the pressure and the formidable batting of Rohit Sharma.

As the captain of India set about creating a disturbance, Shubman Gill had to remain stationary at the crease. This has been his role at the World Cup, but the youthful opening made a bad play; Gill’s weak pull lacked any form of direction, and the ball went to Adam Zampa at mid-on. But when Virat Kohli joined Rohit Sharma at the crease at 30 for 1 in the fifth over, the Ahmedabad crowd started to sing again.

Indian supporters were in for a treat as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma engaged in a fast-paced partnership that threatened to put Australia under pressure. The cricket world has been envious of Rohit Sharma’s strike rate, which has been amazing to watch. Virat Kohli also fired up the field in a huge final on Sunday. He has been acting as an anchor following Rohit’s spectaculars. However, Australia’s extremely proficient pace attack appeared unremarkable for a short while thanks to the two batting mainstays of India.

The three boundaries that Virat Kohli established from a Mitchell Starc over must have been the high point of that initial collaboration. Right now, the Australians could feel the heat. After that, things began to shift.

After hitting Glenn Maxwell for a four and a six, Rohit Sharma wanted to go for more. But as the captain of India came down the pitch, he miscued one of his signature shots, and Travis Head sensationally collected him, running back from cover before finishing off one of the greatest World Cup captures with a perfectly placed dive.

Shreyas Iyer struck a boundary to start the innings, but Pat Cummins, who was astonished to get the wicket, missed a delivery that was back of a length.

They proceeded to initiate one of the most peculiar batting alliances in any World Cup game. When KL Rahul came in to bat in the eleventh over, Virat Kohli was scoring at a rate of more than a run per ball. The four-wicket partnership between the two yielded just 67 runs without a boundary over the next 19 overs. With the strain mounting on Kohli, who concluded the World Cup with a record-breaking 765 runs, Rahul never went into second gear.

The hosts blasted nine boundaries and three sixes until the tenth over of the Indian innings. In one of the most conservative batting strategies in recent memory, India’s batters managed to smash just four additional fours from the end of the tenth over until the end of the innings.

Although the pitch was slow, it was still a good surface for playing cricket. India’s performance on Sunday reminded me of a similar display they had against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal.

Actually, Sunil Gavaskar questioned why Rohit Sharma felt the need to take a risky shot when he ought to have settled for a solid opening over. But Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Suryakumar Yadav should also be questioned.

Suryakumar did not perform to his full potential in the XI, merely due of an unlucky injury to Hardik Pandya. Even with the last-place players on the other end, he shockingly avoided taking a hit, despite the sentiments of some former cricket players that he would be the X-factor. India finished with 240, a score so low that Australia didn’t even seem concerned after losing three quick wickets. Yadav managed a dismal 18 from 28 balls.

India should be happy of everything they accomplished leading up to the championship match, even though they would be disappointed with their performance in the final. They won ten straight games, and two of their hitters were ranked first and second respectively in the standings for runs scored. With 11 matches completed, Virat Kohli scored 765 runs, and Rohit Sharma came in second with 597 runs.

Mohammed Shami emerged as the 2023 World Cup’s top wicket-taker despite missing the opening four games against Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Jasprit Bumrah achieved a 20-wicket total as well.

India vs Australia ICC World Cup 2023 Final :  Score Card

 

Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Shubman Gill, 4.2 ov), 2-76 (Rohit Sharma, 9.4 ov), 3-81 (Shreyas Iyer, 10.2 ov), 4-148 (Virat Kohli, 28.3 ov), 5-178 (Ravindra Jadeja, 35.5 ov), 6-203 (KL Rahul, 41.3 ov), 7-211 (Mohammed Shami, 43.4 ov), 8-214 (Jasprit Bumrah, 44.5 ov), 9-226 (Suryakumar Yadav, 47.3 ov), 10-240 (Kuldeep Yadav, 49.6 ov) • DRS

BOWLING	O	M	R	W	ECON	0s	4s	6s	WD	NB
Mitchell Starc	10	0	55	3	5.50	30	4	1	3	0
Josh Hazlewood	10	0	60	2	6.00	22	4	1	1	0
Glenn Maxwell	6	0	35	1	5.83	19	4	1	0	0
Pat Cummins	10	0	34	2	3.40	30	0	0	2	0
Adam Zampa	10	0	44	1	4.40	22	1	0	1	0
Mitchell Marsh	2	0	5	0	2.50	7	0	0	0	0
Travis Head	2	0	4	0	2.00	8	0	0	0	0

 

Australia  (T: 241 runs from 50 ovs)

 

Fall of wickets: 1-16 (David Warner, 1.1 ov), 2-41 (Mitchell Marsh, 4.3 ov), 3-47 (Steven Smith, 6.6 ov), 4-239 (Travis Head, 42.5 ov) • DRS

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