'Australia's Mitchell Marsh dropped the World Cup'

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir, known for his making controversial remarks, shared his views on how Australia’s chances of winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 were affected after Mitchell Marsh dropped India batter Virat Kohli’s simple catch.

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There was drama in the Australia-India World Cup 2023 fixture at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai as Mitchell Marsh dropped Virat Kohli’s catch when the side were struggling 2-3 in chase of a low 200-run target.

It proved to be costly for the five-time champions as Virat Kohli and KL Rahul both struck half-centuries. They put on a 164-run partnership on the fourth wicket to guide the side to a six-wicket win.

MITCHELL MARSH DROPS KOHLI AND ALSO MATCH#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/DmcAthEG4L

— World Cup 2023 (@MensICCWorldCup) October 10, 2023

Gautam Gambhir, giving his opinions on the crucial moment in a conversation with a sporting website, said Australia not only lost the match but their chances of winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 might have ended there and then.

“India would have been under a lot of pressure had they been at 10-4 or 20-4,” he said. “With a batter like Kohli dismissed, it would have been difficult for India to chase down the score. So, not only did Australia lose the match with that dropped catch, they have possibly lost a place in the semis as well.”

He added, “The World Cup is such a tournament that due to this dropped catch, Australia might find themselves out of the top four and not reach the semi-finals. After losing to India, Australia’s remaining matches against the top sides will be must-win encounters.”

It is pertinent to mention that Australia captain Pat Cummins said he had already forgotten about the drop catch the moment it happened as such things happen.

“I have already forgotten about it (the drop catch), it happens, 4/10 would have been a dream start. We have to review this one, absolutely a tough surface, but what if we are up against it then how would we do differently? Just one game out of nine, not too much to ponder about but there are some areas we need to get better,” he said.