Ahmedabad: Eternal champions Australia have won the 2023 World Cup, taking it away from India as millions outside and the 92,453 spectators inside the Narendra Modi stadium went through intense heartbreak, led by their skipper Rohit Sharma and his band of hitherto fabled warriors.
For sticklers of statistics, the Cup went Down Under after the Aussies defeated India by six wickets, mounted on a handsome 137-run century by Travis Head and a unbeaten half ton by Marnus Labuschagne and match turning partnership between the two. For Cup No 6, this was consummate!
Australians, never to be overawed by the occasion, came in all guns blazing and in a stunning display of intent, grit and clinical brilliance to make India look ordinary, something that would have been extraordinary to think before the final, seeing their blistering campaign in the run-up to Motera.
The famed batting line-up that the Men in Blue boasted of, could not break the Aussie cordon put up by Pat Cummins after he won the toss and elected to bowl amid raised eyebrows around his decision. But from it being views as suicidal to being called a masterstroke by a courageous Pat Cummins, it took just some 15 overs to concretise.
If one looks back, perhaps Rohit Sharma should have stopped the audacity after a six and a four that he hit preceding the catch that sent him back at 47. Perhaps, Virat Kohli should have somehow peppered rotation with boundaries; perhaps, the entire batting campaign should have irrigated the run drought. Perhaps, perhaps…
That’s wishful thinking, losers talk. The Starc reality is the three-for by Mitchell, the impeccable rotation of bowlers by Cummins and the awe-inspiring fielding by the Aussies who seem to have been inspired by Travis Head’s impossible catch that felled the Indian skipper.
Really, as much difficult it is for an Indian fan to acknowledge, India lost to a better team. The Aussie intent was more intense than India’s, more sorted. The Indian bowlers bowled their hearts out and even created moments in the form of three wickets in the powerplay. But the match was lost in the first half, on the less than ordinary blade of the Indian batters. Such was the inaction after Rohit Sharma left and in the middle overs that a boundary by Siraj at death was being desperately lapped up.
Despite losing three wickets for 41 runs, the Australians did not give up. They showed their brand of tenacity on a day that Virat Kohli stuck too long to preservation and left without completing the job at 54. On the way, dipping the total to indefensible proportions.
The great Australian might tested every aspect of Indian strength. They chained the bat, they fought back the arm and they seized the moments in the match with style and gumption. There is no mistaking the fact that this Australian team, too, is for the ages. Less lionised than a Ricky Ponting and a Steve Wagh, Pat Cummins is courage and acumen all through.
The 100-run partnership between Marnus Labuschange and Travis Head in 118 balls spoke volumes on the effective way to absorb pressure as did the disciplined bowling by the Aussie arm. As did the century by Travis Head who navigated the pitfalls as a seasoned professional.
Motera saw what the Australians are all about and how much they took away from the Men in Blue. Rohit Sharma’s dream run, his last bid at ultimate glory was snatched away clinically; head coach Rahul Dravid’s two-year gameplan, the huddles, the analyses, the picking of the team, the training, the assigning of roles – Aussies took away the life from that.
They made Virat Kohli toil, they doused the Sharma fire early; they gave lessons of consistency to Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer; they took KL Rahul’s brilliance with a brilliant ball, and they seared through the largely untested Indian middle order with a doctor’s scalpel. Real dominance? That’s them.
They made the 1.32 lakh fans acknowledge, howsoever grudgingly, howsoever heartbreakingly, that India did not stand a chance against them at any point in this game, not even when the Shami-Bumrah show was at play.
At 240, nothing could have worked against the Aussies, except the Cup being lifted by them, which they take home with pride trouncing the great Indian odds on a land considered to be the final frontier. India have been left rueing the fact that luck, dominance and performance deserted them in the end, tearing all the fables around them apart.
Yes, they were the only unbeaten team until the Final; yes, they were the most dominant Indian team till date; yes, they had aggressors that came of age in the bowling department. Yes, they had an unconquered Mount 50 among them. But were they the best? The Aussies can answer that one to make the obvious more clear.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Australia. "Congratulations to Australia on a magnificent World Cup victory! Theirs was a commendable performance through the tournament, culminating in a splendid triumph. Compliments to Travis Head for his remarkable game today," Modi said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Actor Ayushmaan Khurana in an Instagram post said that it was just a bad day in office for the Men in Blue. Actor Abhishek Bachchan said it was a tough loss for the Rohit Sharma-led outfit.
"A tough loss after a valiant effort. Commendable performance by the men in blue throughout. Hold your heads high and thank you for the journey," the junior Bachchan said in a post on X. Actor Prakash Raj also congratulated the Pat Cummins-led side.
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