World Cup 2023 | What Went Wrong For India In The Finals?
Pat Cummins-led side thrashed India in WC Final (AP Photo)
India's defeat in the 2023 World Cup final against Australia can be dissected across various dimensions. The pitch conditions at Ahmedabad played a crucial role, offering a slower and drier surface than initially anticipated. This posed challenges for the Indian batsmen, affecting their stroke play and overall batting strategy.
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Australia's meticulous planning, orchestrated by their captain, turned out to be a masterstroke. Their strategic approach and precise execution put India on the back foot, showcasing the effectiveness of their game plan. India's batting woes were evident in the stark contrast between the first and next 40 overs. While they managed 12 boundaries in the initial 10 overs, the subsequent 40 overs saw a decline with only four fours.
This inconsistency in shot-making hindered India's ability to build a commanding total. The untimely dismissals of key players, particularly Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, disrupted India's momentum at critical junctures when they were well-set. These wickets at crucial moments played into Australia's hands, creating a ripple effect on India's innings.
Setting a target of 241 runs, India found themselves with a below-par total. Although the Indian bowlers made an early impact, reducing Australia to 47/3, Travis Head's exceptional inning of 137 runs proved to be the turning point, as India struggled to counter his dominance.
Boundary Drought: India's Struggle with Lack of Scoring Proves Costly
India's batting performance in the 2023 World Cup final can be dissected phase-wise to understand the dynamics of their innings. Initially, during the first powerplay, India exhibited an aggressive start, scoring at a rate of 8 runs per over. This phase was marked by Rohit Sharma's fearless approach, contributing to a total of 12 boundaries, including 9 fours and 3 sixes.
However, the momentum took a hit after Rohit's dismissal, and India struggled to find boundaries in the middle overs. Australia's effective fielding and strategic field placements added to India's challenges. The period between the 10th and 20th overs witnessed a significant dip in India's run rate, as they managed to score just 35 runs with no boundaries and a high dot ball percentage of 43.3%. This trend continued in the subsequent overs (20-30), where India scored 37 runs with only a single boundary.
The struggles persisted in the overs between 30 and 40, as India could only manage 45 runs with a dot ball percentage exceeding 40%. The boundary count remained low, with just one four during this phase. In the final ten overs, India faced a collapse, losing wickets and scoring a mere 43 runs with only a couple of boundaries. Notably, between overs 10 and 50, India could only muster 4 fours, reflecting a significant struggle in finding the ropes during the crucial middle and death overs. This proved to be a costly aspect in India's total score.
Conclusion
In conclusion, India's inability to find boundaries in the crucial middle overs, coupled with the exceptional captaincy of Pat Cummins and Australia's stellar fielding performance, emerged as decisive factors in the World Cup final. The momentum shift after the loss of early wickets and the meticulous planning by the Australian skipper played a crucial role.
Australia's fielders executed their plans flawlessly, complementing the disciplined bowling. Ultimately, the lack of boundary-scoring opportunities in the middle phase, combined with Australia's all-round brilliance, proved to be the major difference in the outcome of the final.
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