Australia secured their sixth World Cup title by defeating India with a six-wicket victory in the 2023 final. Opting to field first, Pat Cummins‘ decision proved brilliant as Australia limited India to 240. Travis Head’s outstanding century led Australia to victory in 43 overs.
Pat Cummins’ unexpected decision to bowl first in the ODI World Cup final surprised many, but Australia’s clinical performance in securing their sixth title against a seemingly unstoppable team demonstrated that Cummins and his team had well-thought-out plans.
Despite India’s preference for batting first in most of their 10 victories leading up to the final, Cummins had his reasons for choosing to bowl first. The Australian bowling and fielding worked cohesively to support the captain’s decision, limiting India to a below-par 240.
Pat Cummins arrived back in Australia after winning the 2023 World Cup against India on November 19 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, his return lacked a grand reception at the airport, with few people welcoming him home.
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Suresh Raina’s take on Australia’s win in the 2023 World Cup final
Ex-Indian batsman Suresh Raina attributes Australia’s 2023 World Cup victory to Pat Cummins’ captaincy and strategic prowess, emphasizing their superior planning that outplayed India in the final.
Raina lauded Pat Cummins’ leadership and strategic brilliance in his ICC column. He said:
“What swung the game in Australia’s favour was Pat Cummins’ captaincy. The way he brought Glenn Maxwell in to the attack to get the wicket of Rohit Sharma with a brilliant catch from Travis Head was very smart.”
”Adam Zampa was great too, as was Cummins himself in dismissing Virat Kohli,” Raina stated.
“They outplayed India and were very solid in their planning,” the 2011 World Cup winner added.
The 36-year-old praised Australia for their fielding display in the final, noting that their diving and determined stops saved a minimum of 30-40 runs.
“Another big factor was Australia’s fielding, I think they saved 30 to 40 runs. From ball one, they were saving a lot of singles and boundaries. There was Travis’ catch and some excellent work in the deep from David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne,” Raina elaborated.
“I think Cummins showed real temperament in his captaincy. He changed his bowlers knowing he could put pressure on each India batter even though they were all in such good form. His tactics made all the difference, and his planning and execution was perfect,” he continued.
Australia started the World Cup with losses against India and South Africa. Interestingly, they defeated South Africa in the semifinals before convincingly defeating India in the final.
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