Former India skipper Gautam Gambhir came up with another perspective behind Men in Blue's heartbreaking defeat in the World Cup 2023 final on November 19. Australia ended up notching their sixth ODI World Cup title after hammering India by six wickets in the final.
Meanwhile, in his latest statement, Gambhir has refused to buy a hypothesis that the best team didn't win the World Cup 2023 title. Gambhir, rather, dismissed this notion as illogical, emphasising that the team that played the most outstanding cricket in the final match rightfully claimed the trophy, which is the ultimate objective of the tournament.
Despite remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament leading up to the final clash, Rohit Sharma's brigade faltered at the final hurdle once again.
In an interview with Sportskeeda, Gambhir unequivocally stated that India's lackluster performance in the final match rendered them undeserving of the coveted 2023 World Cup title.
"A lot of people might not like it. I heard some of the experts saying that the best team has not gone on to win the World Cup. That’s absolutely not true. That’s one of the bizarre statements that I have heard. It’s actually the best team that has won the World Cup. Let’s be honest," Gambhir told Sportskeeda.
Addressing the perception that India's unbeaten run made them the favorites in the final, Gambhir drew attention to Australia's equally impressive record. He pointed out that Australia had also won eight consecutive matches heading into the final, after suffering defeats in their first two matches.
“India won 10 matches and were in very good form, so they were favorites. But Australia had also won eight games in a row after losing the first two. Only the best team wins the World Cup. You cannot define it that way - that India won 10 matches but played one poor game. The reality is the semi-final and the final were the knockout matches. It did not matter whether you finished first or fourth [in the league stage],” he further said.
"It is easy to win six out of eight league matches. Winning two out of two when you know any mistake can cost you is difficult. Let’s accept it that the best team has gone on to win the World Cup. India did not play well, let’s not run away from reality,” Gambhir signed off.
Talking about the match, opting to bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, India got off to a stunning start. Rohit Sharma unleashed a beast in him and cracked a flurry of boundaries before being dismissed by Glenn Maxwell for 47 runs off 31 balls in the 10th over. Despite Sharma's early dismissal, India managed to post a total of 240 runs on the board riding on KL Rahul patient knock of 66 runs off 107 balls and Virat Kohli's sensible innings of 54 runs off 63 deliveries. Mitchell Starc was the pick of the Australian bowlers, claiming 3/55, while Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood picked up two wickets each. In reply, Australia's chase was spearheaded by a stunning batting display from Travis Head. Head scored an unbeaten 137 runs off 120 balls riding on four sixes and 15 boundaries. He forged a crucial 192-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Marnus Labuschagne (58 off 110), rescuing Australia from a precarious 47/3 to a commanding victory. Travis Head was named player of the match for his match-winning knock while Virat Kohli was named player of the tournament. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami became the highest wicket taker in the World Cup 2023 with 24 scalps in seven games.
This was the second time India suffered defeat at the hands of Australia in the ODI World Cup final.
Australia and India will next lock horns with each other in the upcoming T20I series which is slated to kick off from November 23.
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