Days after the ODI World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium ended with India losing heartbreakingly by six wickets to Australia, former ‘Men in Blue’ batter Ambati Rayudu attributed the defeat to unfavorable conditions. Rayudu questioned whose idea it was to make a slow pitch in the finals while chatting with BeerBicep on his YouTube channel. Scroll down to read Ex-India Star Rayudu Opens Up On World Cup Final Pitch.
Ex-India Star Rayudu Opens Up On World Cup Final Pitch
Rayudu continued by saying that since tea in India was stronger than in Australia, a regular surface would have been more fascinating. He said, “Even for a final, the wicket was incredibly slow and listless. Whose idea it was, I cannot say. Given that we outmatched the Australian team in strength, I believe that even a standard surface would have sufficed. In the end, none of that was necessary.”
According to Rayudu, “Unfortunately, it wasn’t what was intended to be a nice cricket wicket.”
“People believed that by constructing a sluggish pitch, they were making things easier for India, the former Chennai Super Kings player continued. The slow wicket in Ahmedabad was the reason why Rohit Sharma’s team was stranded,” he continued.
“For some reason, people believe that by setting up a pitch like that, they are aiding the Indian team. We were stranded on an extremely slow wicket. I don’t believe that ought to occur. It ought to be a favorable wicket for cricket. We are stronger and more skilled than any opposition. An ideal limited-overs game would have the pitch stay the same for the whole 100 overs. There shouldn’t be much of a toss,” he continued.
He went on to say that it was foolishness if someone intentionally made a presentation like that.
“I’m not sure if it was intentional or just something someone thought about. It’s foolish if they had done it on purpose. However, I doubt they would have followed through,” he continued.
Before the game, Australia chose to field first, which caused India to struggle on a difficult batting surface. KL Rahul (66) and Virat Kohli (54), however, both reached fifty runs. India lost all fifty overs, getting out for 240. At Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, Travis Head (137) and Marnus Labuschagne (58*) led Australia to their sixth World Cup victory in the chase of 241.
