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[Saba Sports News] India’s dream to end their ten-year ICC Trophy drought was shattered by a six-wicket loss to Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Despite winning ten consecutive matches, the Rohit Sharma-led team faltered against the six-time champions in front of 1.3 lakh fans. This defeat sparked widespread discussions about India’s failure on the big stage.
In a recent BCCI meeting in Delhi, attended by officials including secretary Jay Shah, vice president Rajeev Shukla, and treasurer Ashish Shelar, head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma (via video call from London) reviewed India’s World Cup performance. According to a Dainik Jagran report, Dravid attributed the loss to the pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium, while Rohit pointed out that the pitch did not turn as expected.
A used surface was deliberately chosen for the final, deviating from the usual practice of using fresh pitches for knockout games. This decision was based on the advice of the local curator. Reports suggest the pitch was watered less to favor spinners, but this strategy backfired. India struggled with the slow wicket, managing only 240 runs. Australia, benefiting from better batting conditions under lights, chased the target in 43 overs with Travis Head scoring a century. Dravid defended the strategy, saying it had been successful throughout the tournament but failed in the final.