Team India entered the final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on the back of 10 successive wins. The Men in Blue defeated all nine opponents comprehensively in the league stage before beating New Zealand in the first semi-final.
However, Rohit Sharma’s men were completely outplayed by Australia in the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19.
Nearly two weeks after the heartbreaking loss in the World Cup final, the BCCI officials sat with head coach Rahul Dravid to review India's performance in the marquee event, Dainik Jagran reported.
India skipper Rohit Sharma, who was in London on a holiday, also attended the meeting via video call. Among the board officials, secretary Jay Shah, VP Rajeev Shukla and treasurer Ashish Shelar were present in the meeting that took place in New Delhi on Thursday (November 30).
According to the report, the board officials asked Dravid and Rohit about the reasons behind India's below-par performance in the summit clash.
Dravid reportedly blamed the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium, citing that it didn’t turn as much as the Indian team management expected. As a result, the home side failed to strangle Australia in the chase.
Notably, the pitch dished up for the final was a used one. It was the same surface used for the league fixture between India and Pakistan. India had won that match quite convincingly but the toss was a major factor in it. Pakistan had batted first in that game and struggled to get going in the middle overs, just like India in the final.
The used pitch was served on the advice of the local curator. While no ICC rule makes preparing a fresh pitch mandatory for World Cup knockout fixtures, a fresh pitch is usually advisable. However, all the knockout matches were played on used pitches in this World Cup.
The pitch for the final was reportedly watered less for it to assist the spinners but it backfired for India. The track did not offer much turn but got very slow, especially in the first half.
India managed to post only 240/10 in 50 overs on a slow deck after being asked to bat first in the title clash. While skipper Rohit Sharma played a fiery knock of 31-ball 47 at the top, the hosts lost three wickets for 81 runs in the 11th over. Subsequently, Virat Kohli (54 off 63) and KL Rahul (66 off 107) adopted a consolidation strategy in the middle overs, where India struggled to find the boundary.
In reply, the Aussies lost three wickets with the new ball but the pitch got easier to bat on as the game progressed. With no pressure of required run-rate, the duo of Travis Head (137 off 120) and Marnus Labuschagne (58* off 110) took their time and added 192 runs for the fourth wicket to overhaul the target in 43 overs.
The report also claimed that the BCCI officials asked Dravid for the reasons behind opting for such a plan when the Indian pacers were doing well in the tournament. The head coach defended the move by saying that it had worked for them during the entire tournament.
(Dainik Jagran Inputs)
