Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has claimed that Australia would’ve lost the ICC World Cup 2023 final on November 19 against India had all-rounder Hardik Pandya played for the Men in Blue in Ahmedabad.
India's batting failed after being asked to bat first in Ahmedabad and managed only 240 runs, with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul scoring fifties. Hardik Pandya couldn’t play this game, as he had been ruled out of the tournament after hurting his ankle in the match against Bangladesh.
Despite a few early wickets, Travis Head (137) and Marnus Labuschagne (58*) ensured Australia won the game by 6 wickets and won their sixth ODI World Cup title.
However, the same Australian team, which also won the 2021 T20 World Cup, was eliminated in the group stage in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Australia lost to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in their group and was knocked out after Zimbabwe’s match against Ireland got washed out.
Mohammad Kaif highlighted how Australia has fallen in ICC events since the 2023 World Cup win. They exited the T20 World Cup in 2024 after losing to India in the semifinals, lost to India again in the semis of the Champions Trophy last year, and were also defeated by South Africa in the World Test Championship final.
He highlighted that Hardik Pandya, who missed the game due to injury, would've made a huge difference and Australia might have lost the 2023 World Cup final had the all-rounder played.
“Mighty Aussies" they were called after winning the 2023 50-over World Cup. After that, they had a sharp fall. 2024 World T20, 2025 Champions Trophy, 2025 World Test Championship—they were not mighty. If Hardik Pandya had played the Ahmedabad final in 2023, the Aussies would have lost there too,” Kaif posted on X.
However, cricket fans were not exactly agreeing with Mohammad Kaif’s viewpoint, and he got trolled on social media. Fans reminded him of other things the Australian team has achieved.
Here are the posts:
