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'Mohammed Siraj Threw A Ball Towards...,' Ganguly Points Out India's Mistakes in WTC Final

image-livkv77fMohammed Siraj on Day 4 of WTC Final (Twitter)

Team India, under Rohit Sharma, sustained a big defeat at the hands of Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final.

After the Indian bowlers reduced Australia to 76-3, Travis Head and Steve Smith launched a 285-run stand, one which saw them through the opening day at 327 without further casualty. The bowlers made a comeback of sorts the following day, as they folded up the Australians for 469.

However, the Indian batting line-up failed twice in the match, and ended up falling 209 runs short of their target on the final day against a famed Australian attack.

Sourav Ganguly says intent-less Day 1 set the tone for Australia

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly believes Rohit Sharma and co. lost the WTC final because they lacked intent with the ball on the opening day.

The cricketer cited a Day 2 incident involving Mohammed Siraj and Steve Smith, and how it influenced the Indian bowlers in restricting the Australians to just 469 in their first innings.

While speaking with Sports Tak, Ganguly said:

“Mohammed Siraj threw a ball towards Steve Smith in the first session of Day 2 in the WTC final and then India's bowling became different from both ends. Such an intent was missing on Day 1.”

Early on Day 2, Mohammed Siraj aggressively threw back the ball towards Steve Smith after the latter had played a defensive shot. The moment ignited some spark within the Indian camp, as they dismissed Australia’s remaining seven batters for just an additional 142 runs after a dominant opening day.

Meanwhile, Team India will now launch their next WTC campaign with a short Test series in West Indies next month. The first of the two matches will commence on July 12 in Dominica.