Team India's saga of crashing at the bigger stage continued as this time they lost the World Test Championship (WTC) final to Australia by 209 runs at the Kennington Oval on Sunday (June 11). Yet again India failed to get their hands on the coveted ICC trophy.
Australia set a big target of 444 runs for India to chase on Saturday (June 10). India's top-order once again failed to score big which left India reeling at 93/3 and it was all upto Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane then. The duo stitched a crucial partnership between them and as after the close of Day 4's play India needed just 280 runs to win the match with seven wickets in hand.
But things went haywire for India on Day 5 as Scott Boland ripped through India's batting line-up with his fiery spell and scripted India's defeat with back-to-back wickets of Virat Kohli (49) and Ravindra Jadeja (0) in the same over. Moments later India's only hope too was dashed with Ajinkya Rahane's (46) dismissal as the Men in Blue were reduced to 234 extended their 10-year-old ICC title drought. Notably, India lost seven wickets for 70 runs on the final day.
Right from the word go Australia dominated in the WTC 2023 final as Team India hardly pose any threat to Pat Cummins' brigade. Australia first posted a commanding total of 469 in their first innings and bundled out India to 296 despite Rahane's fighting 89 to take an unassailable lead of 173 runs. Cummins then declared Australia's innings at 270/8 and set 444-run target which Rohit's men failed to achieve.
Meanwhile, let's have a look at the key reasons behind India's fiasco in the WTC final.
POOR DECISION AT TOSS
Before match match begun, the Kennington Oval pitch looked green in colour and conditions were overcast at the toss. Looking at the conditions, India skipper Rohit decided to bowl first. Indian bowlers managed to get rid of Australia's top-three batters but failed miserably to carry the momentum henceforth. As the pitch eased out for batters, Travis Head and Steve Smith got hold of the situation and banged superb centuries to help Australia post a big total.
OMITTING ASHWIN IN BIG GAME
Rohit left everyone shocked with his decision to drop Ravichandran Ashwin from playing XI as he went with four-seamer-and-one-spinner combination.
Instead of playing World no.1 Test bowler Ashwin, Rohit decided to play an extra spinner in Umesh Yadav, who failed to make an impact in the WTC final. India certainly missed Ashwin's presence in the second half of the match as the pitch offered turn from Day 3.
BATTING FIASCO
Barring Ajinkya Rahane, the much vaunted batting line up of India totally faltered at the bigger stage. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli couldn't live up to everyone's expectations. In both the innings India batters failed to touch the 300-run mark on the Oval pitch where Australian batters in Steve Smith and Travis Head fired with the bat.
Rahane's fighting 89 in the first innings was the only highlight of India's batting as the likes of Rohit, Gill, Pujara, Kohli, couldn't even score a fifty in both the innings.
LISTLESS BOWLING
India's ineffective bowling in the second innings was laid bare which allowed Australian batters to pile a big total on the first two days. India's star studded bowling line-up with the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja couldn't pose any threat to Australian batters. Head, Smith, Alex Carey and Labuschagne made Indian bowlers sweat hard on the field.
JASPRIT BUMRAH'S ABSENCE
India desperately missed the presence of their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who is struggling from his back injury and was ruled out of the WTC Final. Siraj did impressed with his pace bowling with a four-fer in the fag end of Australia's first innings but it was too late till then. On the other hand, Shami, Umesh and Shardul Thakur couldn't even take a three-wicket haul which let Australian batters to bat freely on the Oval pitch.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
‘The batting was shambles. It is ridiculous..’: Fuming Gavaskar rips apart India's batters for flop-show in WTC final fiasco
Two finals, two selection blunders: How did India go wrong in 2021 and 2023 WTC finals?
