India endured a heartbreaking defeat against Australia in the World Cup 2023 final in front of a packed Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday (November 19).
India endured a heartbreaking defeat against Australia in the World Cup 2023 final in front of a packed Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday (November 19). They were the favourites to win the game and came into this encounter with ten consecutive victories in the league stage and semifinal. However, what followed was utter disappointment and shock for everyone.
While batting first, the Men in Blue could only register 240 and got all-out by the end. KL Rahul top scored with 66 runs, but he took as many as 107 balls and hit only one boundary throughout the knock. Virat Kohli (54) and Rohit Sharma (41) also got starts but couldn’t convert them into big scores.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami provided a sensational start in the bowling turn and dismissed three batters in 47 runs inside the powerplay. However, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne steadied the ship immediately and took Australia to the safer shores. Head went on to notch up a tremendous century, scoring 137 runs off 120 balls with the help of 15 boundaries and four maximums.
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Despite playing at home, India couldn’t clinch the title, as their wait for the trophy gets longer. They haven’t won an ICC event since 2014, and it was an ideal time to end the drought. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
The BCCI had a meeting with the head coach, Rahul Dravid, and the captain, Rohit Sharma, days after the World Cup loss. The reason behind the meeting was to review India’s performance in the event as well as the future planning for the South Africa tour starting after a few days. Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, the vice president, Rajeev Shukla, and Ashish Shelar, the BCCI treasurer, were part of the meeting, as per a report by Dainik Jagran.
It is believed that Rahul Dravid felt India lost the final because the track didn’t play as expected in Ahmedabad. He thought that the pitch would turn more than it did for the spinners. But it didn’t, and India lost the game.
It’s worth noting that the track in Ahmedabad was slow for batting, particularly during the day when India batted. The knocks of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul showed it. The run-scoring was as arduous as it can get.
However, the pitch got better in the night under the lights after some early movement. It was clearly something India didn’t expect. India undermined their own strengths and played on a tepid pitch, and it backfired significantly.
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