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Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma Hold Ahmedabad Pitch Responsible For World Cup Final Defeat

image-lpo4vgf0Rahul Dravid checking Ahmedabad pitch (AP Photos)

Team India have sealed the ongoing five-match T20I series against Australia by a 3-1 margin with one game left to be played. However, the memories of the 2023 World Cup final loss are still fresh in the minds of the fans. 

As reported by Hindustan Times, 11 days after that heart-breaking loss, the BCCI officials conducted a meeting with team India head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma to discuss India's performance in the 2023 World Cup and the squad across formats for the South Africa tour. Notably, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, Vice President Rajeev Shukla, and Treasurer Ashish Shelar were also present at the meeting.

The board officials asked Team India's head coach about the reasons behind the loss in the World Cup final. The Indian team did nothing wrong throughout the tournament, as they had not lost a single game in the tournament coming into the final.

Head coach Rahul Dravid pointed out the nature of the pitch behind the loss. Dravid felt that there wasn’t as much turn as they expected from the track. The final of the 2023 World Cup was played at Narendra Modi Stadium, and it was on the same pitch that was used during the India vs. Pakistan league stage match.

Losing the toss only made things difficult for the hosts. The pitch slowed down as their innings progressed, as despite getting a good start, India could only manage to score 240 runs on the board.

The Australian bowlers kept taking the pace off the bowl, and it worked to their advantage. India’s head coach said that they were expecting the ball to grip and turn; however, things didn’t work out for them as expected.

BCCI also questioned India’s change in plans when their fast bowlers were bowling extremely well. Dravid, in reply, pointed out that the same plan worked for them throughout the World Cup but not the final.

Most of the players, who were part of the 2023 World Cup, are on a break and will be back on the upcoming tour of South Africa. Senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli won’t be part of the T20Is but will make their comeback in Tests. KL Rahul will lead the team in ODIs, while Suryakumar Yadav will captain the T20I team.