India suffered another heartbreak at an ICC event when it lost the World Test Championship final (WTC Final 2023) on Sunday at The Oval in London by a score of 209 runs.
Since Australia scored 469 runs in the first innings, a loss has been imminent. After losing a 173-run lead in the first innings, the Rohit Sharma-led team was under even more pressure.
After a massive 285-run partnership for the fourth wicket between centurions Travis Head and Steve Smith, India was forced to play catch-up. In the second innings, India was completely outscored by 51 runs, or 234 runs, compared to Smith and Head’s partnership.
We have narrowed down the top three reasons why India lost the WTC Final 2023, despite the fact that there were many factors contributing to the enormous defeat.
1. Large names, hesitant performances
The master of the chase, Virat Kohli. He is second only to the great Sachin Tendulkar in terms of international runs scored and hundreds scored with over 25,000, but he only managed to score 14 in the first innings and lost his wicket after making 49 in the second.
Cheteshwar Pujara, a Test specialist who had spent the previous two months playing in English weather, was taken aback by the Australian pace attack. He scored 14 in the first inning and 47 in the second.
Rohit Sharma continued to have a poor record in ICC finals. During the first and second innings, the captain scored 15 and 43 respectively. Because of his “Hitman” reputation, he fired people in a style befitting of his stature.
On one occasion, he misread the line and played a hurried sweep shot, which allowed Nathan Lyon to trap him just in front of the stumps.
Mohammed Shami didn’t have much of an impact on the game despite expectations that he would brilliantly lead the Indian bowling attack. The pacer had a poor first game, only picking up two wickets while giving up 122 runs in 29 overs at a 4 point 20 economy rate.
He also claimed two wickets in the second innings, but they belonged to Mitchell Starc, who had scored 41, and to Pat Cummins, who had come down to bat with the intention of scoring a few quick runs and declaring Australia’s innings.
India’s future was once again sealed by four key players and four subpar performances.
2. Uncertain team selection
Due to Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur playing ahead of him, the top-ranked Test bowler in the world, Ravichandran Ashwin, was not selected for the starting eleven.
Umesh fell far short of expectations while Shardul upheld his selection with the dismissals of David Warner and Steve Smith as well as a valiant 51-run effort in the first innings.
India lost the advantage of getting Australia down to 76 for three in the first innings after 23 overs for 77 runs without taking a wicket. He was easily defeated by Australia’s batters, and the pressure that Shami and Mohammed Siraj had put on him soon vanished.
If Umesh had the same qualities as Scott Boland, playing him instead of Ashwin might have been justified, but his track record in international Test matches has never been great.
Furthermore, the spinners are known to be supported by the Oval surface throughout the game.
Nathan Lyon took four wickets in the second innings, which made the management pause and think about their choice.
Ishan Kishan played ahead of KS Bharat, who utterly failed with the bat, scoring 5 and 23 over the course of the two innings. He would have made a walking wicket under English circumstances, as many had predicted.
Because of his aggressive batting style, which had the potential to turn the match on its head at any time during the game, even Ricky Ponting had advised India to play Kishan instead of Rishabh Pant.
3. Inadequate planning
After competing in the game’s shortest format at the franchise level (IPL 2023), Indian players immediately traveled to the UK for the WTC Final. Additionally, there were times when the few practice sessions were optional. It is debatable how the team will react in a crucial match like the WTC final.
In complete contrast, Australian players like Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith participated in county cricket, while Pat Cummins and Mitchell Star opted out of the IPL. In their net sessions, the Australian team also displayed a higher level of seriousness. They have seen the benefits of their labor.
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