India vs Australia – ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Finals

Match Report – India vs Australia, ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023

Australia became world champions for the record 6th time beating India in the finals of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 here at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday 19th of November.

Australia’s supremacy at the biggest stage:

It seemed like one-way traffic as the Australians trounced India by 7 wickets in the finals to lift the World Cup for the record 6th time. Travis Head who had missed the initial phase of the tournament due to injury thrashed the Indian bowlers to all parts and struck a well-made 137 runs from 120 balls filled with 15 fours and 4 sixes, Marnus Labuschagne who walked to bat when the side was reeling at 47 for 3, remained unbeaten on 58* runs and the duo stitched a 192-run stand for the 4th wicket. It was Glenn Maxwell who hit the winning runs for Men in Yellow.

Earlier Pat Cummins the Australian skipper made a bold call to send host India to bat first and it turned out really well as they restricted Men in Blue for a marginal 240 runs on the board. They read the conditions well and were top-notch on the field throughout the innings, saving close to 30 runs. Cummins and his bowlers took the pace off the ball on a regular basis and hardly bowled loose deliveries for the Indian batters to free their arms. Their turning point came in the 10th over when Travis Head took a brilliant running catch in the covers of Glenn Maxwell’s delivery to dismiss the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for 47 runs. They were able to get rid of the tournament’s highest run-scorer Virat Kohli for 54. In the end, the Aussies outplayed the Indians in front of 1.3 lakh people with their tactical approach.

Another heartbreak for Team India:

India entered the finals as the firm favorites, winning 10 matches in a row and their slow batting display cost the game in a packed stadium on Super Sunday. Rohit Sharma gave an explosive start, scoring 47 runs at a strike rate of 151.61. They lost two quicks as Rohit Sharma and inform Shreyas Iyer departed in the span of five deliveries. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul looked to rebuild the innings and added 67 runs for the 4th wicket. Rahul ended up as their highest run-scorer with 66 runs eventually they finished 240 runs on the board at the end of the stipulated 50 overs. They had huge expectations of avenging the 2003 World Cup Final loss however it went the other way round as they suffered a 7-wicket loss in the historic summit clash.

Brief Scores:

India 240/10 in 50 overs (KL Rahul 66, Virat Kohli 54, Rohit Sharma 47, Mitchell Starc 3 for 55, Pat Cummins 2 for 34, Josh Hazlewood 2 for 60) lost to Australia 241/4 in 43 overs ( Travis Head 137, Marnus Labuschagne 58*, Jasprit Bumrah 2 for 43).

Player of the Match: Travis Head

Travis Head looked positive right from the start in the run chase. He didn’t shy away from attacking the world-class bowling attack comprised of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj. The 29-year-old southpaw hammered 137 runs and was adjudged the Player of the Match in the finals.

Player of the Tournament: Virat Kohli

Run-machine Virat Kohli was declared as the Player of the Tournament for his consistent batting performances. He ended up as the leading run-getter with 765 runs in 11 matches at an average of 95.62.