In a review meeting held by the BCCI, the head coach of Indian cricket team, Rahul Dravid & Captain Rohit Sharma faced tough questions regarding India’s poor loss to Aussies in the ODI World Cup Final. The meeting has been conducted in 11 days after the conclusion of the final. The meet was directed to dissect the reasons behind India’s defeat & to plan for their upcoming South African tour.
The Agenda Meeting of the World Cup Final Loss Review Meet
The meeting which held in New Delhi saw the participation of BCCI secretary, jay Shah, Vice-president Rajeev Shukla & treasurer Ashish Shelar. The Officials probed Dravid & Sharma about the factors that led to the loss of India in the ODI World Cup 2023 final.
What was Dravid & Rohit’s clarification about World Cup Final Loss
According to a report in a leading media publisher, Rahul Dravid blamed Ahmedabad pitch at the Narendra Modi stadium for the World Cup final loss. The head Coach urged that the pitch didn’t exhibit the expected amount of turn. He further said that it is crucial factor that played a pivotal role in India’s inability to dismantle Australia’s batting order.
Narendra Modi Pitch’s Slow nature acted against India
The ODI World Cup 2023 final was played on a used pitch the same on which the league stage fixture against Pakistan. Dravid pointed that the excessive slow nature of the pitch combined with the impeccable execution of the Australian bowlers hindered India’s batting prowess. Despite a good start by Rohit Sharma, the middle order struggled a lot & couldn’t build their innings in front of Australian attack.
Reason to play on a used Pitch
The decision to play on a used pitch was taken on local curator’s advice. As per experts’ advice fresh pitches are advisable for knockout matches. In contrary all knockout matches in the World cup 2023 were played on used pitches. The pitch was watered less to assist spinners, but it backfired for India, making the surface slow, especially in the first half.
Why the management thought of playing World Cup Final on Used Pitch?
The BCCI officials questioned Rahul Dravid about the decision to pursue his plan when Indian pacers led by Mohammed Shami & Jasprit Bumrah were performing outstandingly throughout the tournament. Dravid then came up with an answer saying that it had worked effectively in last matches but failed miserably in this crucial clash.
South Africa Tour in Big Picture
With the Majority of the World cup squad members & support staff already on a break, the focus is now on India tour of South Africa. Notably India’s World cup squad have been rested for the Australia t20I series & majority of them will return for the South Africa tour. This series marks the beginning of India’s quest for an ICC trophy and will include three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests as part of the World Test Championship.
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