On the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where Australia ended hosts India’s undefeated 10-match winning streak to win the coveted trophy for a record-tying sixth time, there was a great deal of discussion and debate. A report on Friday stated that the International Cricket Council (ICC) had disclosed their rating for both the Ahmedabad pitch and the ones used for the semifinal matches.
The November 19 clash for the title between India and Australia was played on a used track. Put to bat first on a sluggish pitch, India were folded for 240 runs which was chased down by the Aussies with seven overs to spare, courtesy of Travis Head’s marvellous century knock.
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The pitch, which was previously used for the India-Pakistan match on October 14, reportedly caused Australia’s captain Pat Cummins some concern before the big game, but his Indian counterpart Rohit Sharma avoided the conversation about it. Two-time World Cup winning captain Ricky Ponting later said that India’s pitch ploy had “backfired” following the match.
The Ahmedabad track has been rated as “average” by ICC. Andy Pycroft, an ICC match referee, assigned the rating. Five of India’s eleven matches—against South Africa in Kolkata, England in Lucknow, Pakistan in Ahmedabad, and Australia in Chennai—were played on “averaged-rated” pitches, according to the report. The semifinal against New Zealand in Mumbai was one of the Indian matches played on a pitch rated “good” by the ICC, according to former Indian bowler Javagak Srinath.
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Rahul Dravid, the head coach, and Rohit met with BCCI representatives to discuss the team’s performance in the competition. At that point, Dravid was said to have attributed India’s defeat in the championship match to Ahmedabad. He believed that one of the main reasons India was unable to choke Australia in their pursuit of 241 was that the pitch did not turn as much as the team management had anticipated.
