The day of 19th November 2023, will be marked as a ‘Black Day’ in the history of Indian Cricket as the most anticipated ODI World Cup 2023 Final turned out in Australia’s favor. The Indian team that marched into the ODI World Cup finals on an unbeaten run couldn’t deliver in front of lethal Aussies. Batting first, Indian batters fell like a pack of cards in front of Australia’s lethal & stringent bowling attack. On the back of Rohit (47), Kohli (52) & Rahul’s (66) blistering run with the bat India posted an average of 240 runs total on board. In reply, they couldn’t restrict Australia from chasing the total as Travis’s attacking 137 followed by Labuchagne’s 53* helped Australia to chase the target within 43 overs.
The loss was irreparable for the Indian team as after a stringent hard work of 2 months they failed to deliver in the crucial do-or-die game. The entire Indian team & support staff broke into tears after the huge loss. And the Indian fans couldn’t control their emotions after seeing their heroes in tears. But what has happened that actually resulted in the downfall of a mighty Indian team in the ODI World Cup 2023 Final? Without wasting even a minute we are decoding the possible reasons that have taken the Indian team to a tragic loss in the marquee clash.
Top Reasons why India lost the ODI World Cup 2023 Final against Australia?
-
Failed to adapt to Narendra Modi Stadium Pitch Conditions
The pitch for the final in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium was much more on a slower & drier side. This acted completely in favor of Australia who won the toss & opted to bowl first. They made full use of Pitch’s dry conditions by bowling cutters & taking away any pace that Team India could have used to their advantage.
Rohit said that he would have batted first if he had won the toss but in that case, as well the result could have been the same. Coming to the second innings the pitch became more of a flat aiding the chasing team. And it looked like Team India didn’t have any plan for the flattening pitch which acted in a different way in the second innings.
-
Australia’s Excellence in Planning & Execution
Australia has strong plans to tackle both conditions & the unstoppable Indian team. Australia was at its best with the ball during the first innings. They did excellent planning & execution outclassing Indians in every department of the game. First, they fielded brilliantly not letting India smash even a single boundary as it was more than 20 overs that India had smashed a boundary. Aussies held his nerves & brought his main bowlers in the middle overs to restrict India’s run-flow completely. He brought Zampa in the middle overs to give India a nightmare. After Virat’s wicket, India was actually done as none of their middle & lower middle-order batters could actually bring the hosts back into the game. Cummins rotated his bowlers strategically & ensured Indian batters were never into the game at any point.
-
India’s Boundary Drought
After making a stunning start with Rohit smashing boundaries at regular intervals. India witnessed a steep downward curve in their Run-per-over rate as they couldn’t find frequent boundaries after the first 10 overs. The search for boundaries continued for a long guiding India to an inadequate total. They could manage nothing more than 241 runs which proved to be an easy target for the Australian clan. India had a run for money as they failed to deliver with the willow in the first innings which was the foundation of their tragic loss.
-
Failure to register big stands in their Innings
India’s inability to build stable stands was evident from the beginning of the fixture. Apart from a single half-century stand between Virat Kohli & KL Rahul, there were no significant collaborations from other players restricting India to a limited total. The lack of big partnerships has restricted India to a meager total of 240 runs. Their inability to deal with Australia’s fierce bowling attack has made it impossible for Indian batters to stitch valuable stands.
-
Middle-Order Collapse
One of the crucial reasons for India’s downfall in the IND vs AUS final is the failure of India’s middle order to stand up & perform. Their middle order is highly reliable but in this summit clash, they failed to deliver with willow significantly. Their middle order comprising Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav could have been on scoring terms but they failed miserably to score runs. KL Rahul’s slow innings added to India’s as it hampered their innings significantly.
-
Pitch Conditions favoring Australia
Initially, Narendra Modi Stadium is a balanced wicket aiding both batters & spinners to a great extent. But during the IND vs AUS final, the conditions were totally different. The pitch was more on the slow & drier side aiding the team to bowl first. Initially, the pitch that drew criticism from experts worked against India. Australia’s decision to bowl first turned out to be the best as they managed to outclass India at a meager total thanks to the pitch’s slow nature in the initial innings. While in the second innings, it turned out to be a flatter one aiding the chasing team. This nature of the pitch acted in Australia’s favor.
-
Aussies’ Aggressive Batting Approach
Aussies stayed true to their name as they went berserk right from the beginning of their innings. They are known to hit hard from the first ball they faced & they did exactly what they are known for in the finals as well.
The Aussies amassed 28 runs in the first two overs, despite losing three wickets in quick succession in the powerplay overs. Both Marnus Labuschagne (53) & Travis Head (137) smashed Indian bowlers all across the park chasing the target within 43 overs. The Aussies didn’t lose hope even after losing early wickets & their aggressive approach has landed them the coveted trophy for the sixth time.
-
The one & only Dew Factor
This time Dew played a significant role in helping Australia in the second innings. It is an important factor that favors the Australian team. In the second innings when India was bowling, dew hampered the effectiveness of the Indian spinners. The lack of turn due to the wet ball allowed Australian batters especially middle-order batters Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, to build a substantial partnership. Australia very well studied Narendra Modi Stadium’s pitch conditions & accordingly made the decision to bowl first.
-
Strategic Missteps in Captaincy
There comes a major blow in Rohit Sharma’s Captaincy in the IND vs AUS final. He didn’t make the right decision of positioning slips for spinners during crucial phases. The absence of slips has not turned in India’s favor as they failed miserably to break vital Aussie stands & restrict the visitors from chasing a target. They easily reached the target without any loss of wickets in the middle & death overs.
-
Dismal Shot Selection & Fielding
Both Rohit & Virat fell prey to poor shot selection after getting good starts. Further India’s poor fielding & easy attitude acted extremely against them. India’s fielding & extra runs contrasted sharply with Australia’s exceptional fielding, adding pressure on the Indian team. In the end, they lost hope as it was quite evident in their casual approach. Dismal Shot selection & poor fielding is one of the big reason for India losing the ODI World Cup 2023 Final.
Our Final Take on IND vs AUS Final
Overall, the major reason for team India’s loss to Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 Final was their defensive approach in the first innings. India should have played aggressive cricket with the willow what they are known for. They tried to adopt a defensive approach instead of an attacking approach which resulted in their downfall. If Indian batters had played with an attacking intent then the results would have been something different.
However, no matter what was the result of the IND vs AUS final the way they have played in the tournament is commendable. One loss couldn’t define the character & grit with which India has played throughout the tournament. Though Team India has lost the fixture, they have won the hearts of millions of Indian fans. We are proud of the way team India has performed throughout the tournament.
Also read, Mitchell Marsh slammed for his feet on World Cup Trophy
