Why Australia opted to bat first during World Cup 2023 final? Ashwin explains
- By Raza Haidery -
- Nov 23, 2023
India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin opened up on Australia’s comfortable victory over his side in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
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India were handed a resounding six-wicket defeat by Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final.
The hosts, being sent to bat first, put on a mediocre performance as the side were dismissed for 240 on the back of half-centuries by Virat Kohli, who was judged Player of the Tournament for his 765 runs, and wicketkeeper KL Rahul.
Travis Head scored a magnificent century to take Pat Cummins’ side to World Cup glory. The opening batter played a brilliant knock of 137 as the side successfully chased a 241-run target in 43 overs.
Ravi Ashwin opened up on Australia’s decision to bat first in the game and how their unmatched preparation helped them become six-time champions in his YouTube channel.
“Let me make it clear, Australia did not win because of destiny or luck,” he said. “They were tactically outstanding in the final. I watched their performance in the final with absolute fascination. Australia and Pat Cummins deceived me. I thought Australia would bat first if they win the toss because, historically, it’s an Aussie thing to ‘win the toss and bat’. The wicket used for the final was not Ahmedabad soil, it was rather from Odisha. It was the kind of wicket that would not disintegrate too much.
“I was looking at the pitch during the mid-innings and that’s when I bumped into George Bailey, Australia’s chairman of selectors. I questioned him curiously why Australia didn’t opt to bat, for which he replied that they opted to bowl first since this was a black soil wicket, which usually gets better to bat on in the evening. He said that the South Africa game in Lucknow, which was played on red soil, helped Australia realize that while it’s better to bat first on red-soil surfaces, it’s always better to chase on black soil surfaces since the ball skids on well when the dew sets in.”
The India cricketer added that Australia retaining an injured Travis Head in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 squad was a warning for other teams. It is pertinent to mention that the left-arm batter did not play the first half of the tournament but ended up as the Player of the Final.
“99/100 times, teams would refuse to carry a player that’s injured in order to have a full 15-member squad at their disposal. But Australia were adamant that they’ll carry Head, even if he was not fit, because they had enormous faith in his abilities. By backing Head even when he was not fit, Australia sent a clear message to everyone: ‘we are backing our players’. All things considered, Australia’s extraordinary values and the belief they had in their players helped them win the World Cup,” he said.\
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