In the Final match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Australia defeated India by six wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The visitors won the toss and opted to field first. The decision appeared questionable at first, but as the innings progressed, India struggled to gather runs and eventually got restricted to a low score of 240/10. Major credit goes to some exceptional bowling acts by skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and co., who bowled on the right length and never allowed the Indian team to settle at any moment in the game.
With the batters seemingly at ease hitting any kind of shot, the pitch appeared entirely different for them in the second inning. The five-time champions began their chase on a positive note as David Warner struck a boundary on the first ball itself. Nevertheless, the left-handed batter couldn’t bat long as he got out in the second over. From the other end, Travis Head (137) played the knock of his lifetime. The 29-year-old hit a remarkable century, which included 15 fours and four sixes. The batter almost played throughout the innings and only got out on the penultimate delivery of the match. Mitchell Marsh (15) added a handful of runs as well, providing the Australians with the requisite momentum. Additionally, Marnus Labuschagne (58*) stood tall in the centre and built a vital partnership with Head. Both batters contributed 193 runs for the fourth wicket partnership, which proved to be sufficient to earn Australia’s sixth 50-over World Cup title.
On a difficult slow track to bat, the Indian side got off to a good start despite Shubman Gill‘s wicket in the fifth over itself. Skipper Rohit Sharma (47), from one end, provided India a good start in powerplay as he hit four fours and three sixes. With him, Virat Kohli (66) continued his fine form and scored a magnificent half-century. Furthermore, KL Rahul (66) also struck a much-needed fifty. Later, Suryakumar Yadav (18) also tried his best but couldn’t contribute enough. It was Kuldeep Yadav‘s (10) and Mohammed Siraj‘s (9*) few strikes in the end that helped India reach 240 runs in 50 overs.
With the ball in the first inning, Captain Cummins led the side with exceptional bowling as he plucked two wickets and just gave away 34 runs. However, Starc was the most wicket-taker tonight for the Aussies as he got three wickets. Along with them, Josh Hazelwood also got two wickets, while Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa obtained one wicket each.
The Indians had a poor outing with the ball except for the first few overs. After getting punished for a few boundaries at the start, the side made a comeback with three wickets courtesy of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami. While Bumrah scalped two wickets, Shami grabbed one. With them, Siraj also plucked one wicket towards the end when the game was already out of reach for the home side.
For his fantastic performance with the bat and in the field, Travis Head was adjudged Player of the Match.
Scorecard:
India: 240/10, Overs 50, KL Rahul 66, Mitchell Starc 3/55
Australia: 241/4, Overs 43, Travis Head 137, Jasprit Bumrah 2/43