WHY INDIA LOST AGAINST AUSTRALIA ,WTC FINAL IN 2023
India won the toss and chose to put Australia to bat first due to the overcast conditions and grass cover on the pitch. However, their decision proved to be unfruitful as they bowled on the wrong length and gave too much room to the opponent batters. This resulted in India losing their grip on the game right from day one and ultimately paying a heavy price on the final day. The head coach, Rahul Dravid, acknowledged that the bowlers couldn't execute their plans as intended. Unfortunately, this loss in the final game marked India's second defeat in the WTC Finals due to their inability to read the conditions accurately.
On the first day of the match, people were discussing why R Ashwin was not selected. Unfortunately, India lost the game, and the main reason for their defeat was the underperformance of their renowned batting line-up. The top four batsmen, including Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Kohli, failed to perform well in the crucial match.
Australia put on a dominating performance on a neutral ground, while India struggled to keep up throughout the five-day match. Opting to bowl first proved to be a costly decision for India, as their pacers were only able to find limited success under the overcast skies. Once the sun came out, Australia took full advantage and India was unable to recover. Strong performances from Travis Head and Steve Smith, along with a solid bowling attack and key contributions from the middle-order, secured Australia's victory in the Ultimate Test. The final score spoke for itself, with Australia emerging as the clear winners.
Scott Boland delivered an impressive performance by constantly challenging Rahane and Kohli with his precise bowling. Kohli's frustration got the better of him as he attempted to hit a ball outside the off-stump, leading to an edge to the second slip where Steve Smith made a remarkable catch. Boland continued his momentum by dismissing Ravindra Jadeja in the same over, which affected India's chase. Unfortunately, India couldn't recover from the setback and lost the match by 209 runs after being bowled out for a mere 234 in the first session.
Scott Boland delivered an outstanding performance with the ball, constantly challenging Rahane and Kohli. His unwavering precision led to Kohli's frustration, prompting him to pursue a ball outside the off-stump, resulting in an edge to second slip, where Steve Smith made a remarkable catch. The Australian bowler then dismissed Ravindra Jadeja in the same over, causing India's chase to falter. As a result, India was restricted to a mere 234 runs in the first session, leading to a loss by 209 runs.
Cheteshwar Pujara, a specialist in Test cricket, had been playing in English conditions for the past two months. However, he was taken by surprise when facing the Australian pace attack. He managed to score 14 runs in the first innings and 47 in the second.
The team selection for the match has been called into question as Ravichandran Ashwin, the world's number one Test bowler, was left out of the playing eleven. Instead, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur were given the opportunity to play. While Shardul performed well with wickets of David Warner and Steve Smith and a solid 51-run knock in the first innings, Umesh failed to impress. His 23 overs for 77 runs without a wicket in the first innings allowed the Australia batters to score freely and erased the advantage gained by reducing them to 76 for three. Playing Umesh over Ashwin could have been justified if he had a better record in overseas Tests. The Oval surface is known to support the spinners, and Nathan Lyon's four wickets in the second innings may make the management reconsider their decision. KS Bharat, who played instead of Ishan Kishan, scored poorly with only 5 and 23 across the two innings. Many had predicted this outcome as he is not well-suited to English conditions. Ricky Ponting had suggested Kishan as a better replacement for Rishabh Pant due to his attacking batting style, which could have turned the match around.
The Indian players headed straight to the UK for the WTC Final 2023 after participating in IPL 2023. However, their preparation for the match was not up to the mark as the limited practice sessions were optional at times. The team's approach towards such a significant match has been questioned. On the other hand, the Australian players, such as Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, played county cricket, while Mitchell Star and Pat Cummins chose to skip IPL. The Australian team displayed a more serious attitude during their net sessions, which has proven to be beneficial for them.
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