India's hopes of winning a third ODI World Cup title were shattered on Sunday, November 22, after their six-wicket defeat against Australia in the final. Despite entering the match as favourites with an unbeaten record in the tournament, India's dominance was reversed by Australia, who had initially lost to them in the opening game.
In the lead-up to the final, India exhibited formidable batting performances, scoring over 350 in three of their previous four games. However, in the final showdown, they were limited to a modest 240 runs in 50 overs, a total Australia chased down in just 43 overs. The lack of aggressive batting in the middle overs drew criticism, with former batter Gautam Gambhir suggesting a more daring approach.
Gambhir emphasised the need for courage in World Cup matches and suggested that taking risks in the middle overs could have made a significant impact.
“It's a double-edged sword. But I have always said this, the most courageous team will go on to win the World Cup. I can understand that you need time to build a partnership but 11 to 40 overs is a very, very long time. Someone should have taken that risk,” Gambhir told Sportskeeda.
The former opener, instrumental in India's 2011 World Cup victory, wanted to see a more aggressive mindset even if it resulted in a lower total. He believed that setting a target of 240 in a World Cup final was not a competitive approach and highlighted the importance of a bold strategy to win ICC tournaments.
“I would have actually liked India going really aggressive with their top 6-7 batters even if they had been all out for 150. I would have been fine. But if you feel you can defend 240 in a World Cup final...that is not where you fight. It is either this way or that. Either we go 150 all out or 300. That is where India have lacked. That is where India have not gone on to win ICC tournaments. Rohit should have sent the message before the game that even if I get out we should go aggressive,” he said.
Gambhir specifically mentioned the partnership between KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, criticising their cautious approach. While Kohli played the role of anchoring the innings, Gambhir argued that the other batters should have adopted a more aggressive stance, especially considering the importance of a high-scoring total in contemporary cricket.
“Kohli has played a role of anchoring the innings, but the rest all should have been aggressive. KL should have gone. What harm would it have caused? We would have been 150 all out. But had we been brave, we could scored 310 and India would have been world champions. This is not the 1990s. 240 is not a good score at all. You need 300-plus totals. India were not brave enough,” added the former opener.
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