Speaking after the World Cup loss, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said, “We were not good enough today. I’m really proud of the team, how we played from game one. It just wasn’t our day. We tried everything, but it wasn’t supposed to be. When Virat and KL were batting we were looking at 270-280, but we kept losing wickets after that. We needed to stitch a big partnership, which is exactly what Australia did.”
“When you have 240 on the bad you have to take early wickets. We got three and we thought another wicket then would open up the game. Credit to Travis Head and Marnus, they took it away from us. I thought the wicket got slightly better to bat on under the lights. I don’t want to use that as an excuse – we didn’t bat well enough,” he added
After winning the toss, Pat Cummins chose to field. Batting first, India gave a target of 241 runs for Australia to chase.
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Apart from KL Rahul (68), Virat Kohli (54) and Rohit Sharma (47), no other Indian player could cross 20 runs. And India managed to put just 240 runs on the scoreboard.
For Australia, Mitchell Starc took three wickets, while Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins picked up two wickets each. Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell also clinched one wicket each.
Chasing the target of 241 runs, Australia lost three early wickets, but Travis Head’s 137 runs in 120 balls led Australia lift their sixth World Cup.
For India Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets, while Mohammed Shami and Travis Head picked one wicket each.
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Pat Cummins after winning the World Cup said, “I think we saved our best for last. A couple of big-match players turned up and we’re pretty chuffed. We batted first for most of the tournament but we thought it was a good night to chase and that it might get a bit easier to bat. Everyone was pretty keen to get out there [in the field]. The pitch was slower than I thought and didn’t spin as much as we expected. Everyone adjusteed well and bowled some tight lines. [On the fielding] It started last week against South Africa; the boys were fantastic. We’ve got an ageing side but everyone threw themselves around.”
“We were really chuffed with keeping India to 240. We’d probably have been happy with anything under 300. I was pacing upstairs [at 47 for 3] but the partnership was magnificent. Marnus came in and showed a cool head straight away and Trav just does what he does. Really brave again: he takes the game on, puts the pressure back on the bowlers, and to do it on the biggest stage shows a lot of character. It was a big risk we took [picking Head in the squad with a broken hand] so credit to the selectors and the medical staff. I couldn’t be happier for Trav. He’s a legend, we love him – and how fun is he to watch?”, he said.
“I was happy the crowd was silent for most of the bowling innings. A couple of times they got loud and it was really loud. IT’s fantastic: the passion in India is unrivalled. You looked around and everyone was wearing a blue shirt. Whatever happened we were never gonna forget today.”
On being asked about Australia’s recovery after losing their first two games, Cummis said, “You’ve got to go and win a World Cup, you can’t just wait for it to happen. You’ve got to be brave at times and take the game on. There was a rteal shift, particularly in our batting, after those first two games. The openers were really aggressive after that. There was a total buy-in from everyone, and in the end it worked..”
“We’ll remember this year [Test Championship winners, Ashes retained, World Cup winners] for a long, long time. It’s been awesome. We’ve spent pretty much the whole Aussie winter away. We’ve had a lot of success but this pips it all. This is the top of the mountain,” he added.
Steve Smith after winning the World Cup said, “It’s incredible and yeah it was just a great performance. The bowlers set the tone and the fielding was great this evening. Took the game on and kept playing to our strengths. Wasn’t the ideal start for us, but we had the belief. Fortunately, we were able to do that and Australia typically plays well in those [big] moments. Big year for us, also winning the Test Championship.”
Glenn Maxwell said, “It was a bit of a slog (the winning hit) but it feels amazing. I sort of resigned to the fact that I wouldn’t have to bat but Heady got out but what a win! It’s a bit different when you’re watching Heady taking on Bumrah. Marnus soaked up the pressure and was outstanding. Heady with his ball-striking was second to none.
Travis Head, Player of the Match said, “What an amazing day! Just thrilled to be a part of it. It’s a lot better than seeing the World Cup on the couch at home (on his injury). I was a little bit nervous but Marnus played exceptionally well and soaked all the pressure. I felt the way Mitch [Marsh] took the game on set the tone and that was the energy we wanted. It was a great decision to bowl first and the wicket got better as the game went on. It paid dividends and nice to play a role. Again, it is something I work hard on and nice to hold on and contribute in front of a full house. Definitely third on the list (Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Travis Head – Player of the Match in World Cup finals) and nice to contribute.”
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Updated: 19 Nov 2023, 10:24 PM IST