Image Source: AP
[Saba Sports News] November 19, 2023, will forever be etched in the memories of Indian cricket fans as a day filled with heartbreak and what-ifs. On this day, at the vast Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India narrowly missed their third World Cup title, losing the final to Australia by six wickets. KL Rahul, who was India’s top scorer with a resilient 66, shared his deepest regret from that pivotal match during a conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin on Ashwin’s YouTube show ‘Kutti Stories.’ Rahul lamented a critical decision he made during his innings.
In the discussion, Ashwin posed a hypothetical question about revisiting one moment with a time machine. “If I could allow giving a time machine & review one decision to correct it all over again, what would it be?” Ashwin asked.
Rahul responded, expressing his dilemma at the time—whether to aggressively play against bowler Mitchell Starc, who was delivering challenging reverse swings, or to adopt a more conservative approach. He admitted that his hesitation led to a crucial error, and he believes that staying at the crease could have potentially added over 30 runs and secured the World Cup for India.
Rahul’s response, “The World Cup final against Australia, I was stuck at the moment, whether to take down Starc or just play him as it was reversing, bowling in tough angle,” Rahul revealed. Rahul believed if he had played a longer inning, India would have won the World Cup, “In that confusion, I ended up nicking it if I could have played till the end, it could have been 30+ runs & probably World Cup in our hands, that is what I regret.”
While India’s captain Rohit Sharma gave a promising start with a quick 47 off 31 balls, the middle order struggled with the pitch conditions against Australia’s sharp bowling. Notable contributions from Virat Kohli and Rahul took India to a total of 240, but Australia clinched the title with a formidable century by Travis Head.
Despite winning 10 consecutive matches, India fell just short in the final, a reflection of the unpredictable nature of cricket, emphasized by the tactical superiority of Pat Cummins and his team on that decisive day.