ICC World Cup 2023: Team India fans are still recovering from the heartbreak they faced on 19 November after Australia defeated India in the ICC World Cup 2023 finals to lift the trophy. Team India, former cricketers, experts, and fans are all wondering about the things that went wrong in the last match of the tournament, where India did so well, winning all 10 matches before the final game. The Board of Control of Cricket (BCCI) decided to sit with Team India skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid to mull over the possible reason behind the comprehensive 6-wicket defeat.
As per a report by news platform Dainik Jagran, before the announcement of India’s squad for the South Africa tour, the senior officials of BCCI had a word with Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid about the possible reasons for India losing the final match despite doing so well in the tournament. Rohit Sharma joined the meeting through a video call as the Indian skipper is currently in London on a holiday.
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, vice-president Rajeev Shukla, and Treasurer Ashish Shelar were part of the meeting as per the report.
The Pitch Factor
Team India coach Rahul Dravid mentioned the role played by the pitch of Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad which didn’t respond to their expectations and also made toss ‘deciding factor.’ Rahul Dravid said that had the pitch gone their way, India would have successfully strangled Australia in the chase.
It is to be noted that the final match was played on a used pitch of Ahmedabad stadium, which is not usual. While the International Cricket Council (ICC) doesn’t speak explicitly on the matter, usually the knockout stages of a tournament are played on fresh pitches, and used pitches are avoided due to their unpredictable behavior.
The pitch on which India played its final against Australia was the same pitch where Indian bowlers dominated Pakistan. To provide some assistance to spinners, the pitch was watered less but the decision backfired for India as the pitch didn’t behave as expected during the first half of the final match.
BCCI officials questioned Rahul Dravid on the necessity of such plans when Indian pacers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were doing well, but the Indian coach explained that the same strategy worked for them throughout the tournament.
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Updated: 02 Dec 2023, 02:48 PM IST