When India decided to use the Ahmedabad pitch, which benefited Australia in the World Cup final, Harbhajan was taken aback. Whether it was in the batting or bowling department, India was unbeatable for ten straight games. As everyone appeared to think, a third World Cup victory seemed certain. However, India made a mistake in the final match. Most people thought it was because Australia was just Australia; they were the most dominant team in World Cup history, fit for big games and big events.
Over the past two days, a plethora of analyses have focused on India’s six-wicket loss. However, it is rare to discover any weakness in a team that has won all ten of its prior games in the competition, regardless of whether they are chasing a target or defending one.
One of the key elements that contributed to Australia’s victory on Sunday was the toss, which was thrown even before the game began. After taking an initial look at the pitch, Pat Cummins acknowledged that he was undecided between the two options but ultimately decided to bowl first. On the sluggish and dry Ahmedabad wicket, the Australians appeared to be at home as they bowled out India for just 240 runs.
According to reports, India chose a slow surface for the big match at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh expressed his disbelief at the decision, which favored Australia, in an interview with India Today. He believed that India would have changed the game if the track had been faster, with their excellent batting lineup responding to the challenge.
“I believe the reason was the somewhat sluggish pitch. It was not as wet as the typical pitch. You know, I would have preferred to see a pitch with a high scoring total—300 or higher. Compared to this type of pitch where you get your opponent into the game, that kind of pitch would favour India more.””
You are aware of your hitters’ exceptional form. They were amazing and extremely, extremely pleased of them, and they looked great the entire event. the manner in which they play cricket. I believe they could do better than they did with a slightly better pitch,” Harbhajan remarked.
The IPL team Gujarat Titans scored more over 200 runs on this Ahmedabad track five times last season, including 233 runs in the playoffs and 214 in the championship game.In response to the question of whether India would have won the World Cup had the pitch not been altered, Harbhajan concurred, stating, “I think India was the superior side.” Ask any person. I had a conversation with a few of my Australian buddies from my playing days yesterday, before to the game.
And all of them claimed that India was simply the best team and that they would win the match. Of course, the Australian team had a plan, carried it out expertly, and produced some outstanding cricket. Naturally, we would have liked the game more if the wicket had been slightly on the better side and the ball had been hitting the bat with more finesse.”
