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SPORTS DECEMBER 01, 2023 | The Indian Eye 55

ICC WORLD CUP 2023

How the Aussies played to a

plan and Indians lost the plot

in the crunch game

Australia skipper Pat Cummins’s uncanny captaincy proved to be a major difference in

the World Cup final between India and Australia

OUR BUREAU

Sydney/Mumbai/Karachi
kipper Pat Cummins heaped
praise on the Australia team
Sclaiming that they are still
“buzzing” after their record 6th ODI
World Cup triumph. This year Aus-
tralia have spent most of their time
away from home since February and
have enjoyed a successful season.
They defeated India in the World
Test Championship final at the Oval
and then went on to retain the Ashes
series. After their tour of South Af-
rica, it seemed as if they had run out
of steam after losing their first two
games of the World Cup campaign,
but they bounced back to lift the cup
at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
After arriving at the Sydney Air-
port ecstatic Cummins said as quot-
ed from ESPNcricinfo, “Every half
an hour or so you kind of remember
that you just won a World Cup and
get excited all over again. We’re still
buzzing. It’s been a big year. To top
it off with this, it’s been amazing. I
think they have created their own leg-
acy. A World Cup, you only get one
chance every four years and especial-
ly playing somewhere like India, it’s Pat Cummins poses with the trophy as they celebrate after beating India by 6 wickets in the final match on Sunday (ANI)
hard. Adding to that an away Ashes
series, a World Test Championship.
We couldn’t have planned for much Mitchell Starc (3/55) was the four boundaries) left the Indian team decided to field after winning the toss.
better. So a pretty satisfied group.” pick of the bowlers for Australia. without answers and guided them to While speaking on AB de
Coming to the match, India bun- Skipper Pat Cummins (2/34) and a six-wicket win. Villiers’ YouTube channel, the
dled out on a score of 240 in 50 overs. Josh Hazlewood (2/60) also bowled left-handed batter said that all the
On a tough batting surface, skipper well. Adam Zampa and Glenn Max- “Majority of us said let’s just stats were telling them to choose bat
Rohit Sharma (47 in 31 balls, with well got a wicket each. chase”: Warner first. However, the squad decided to
four boundaries and three sixes), While chasing 241, India had the chase.
Virat Kohli (54 in 63 balls, with four Aussies down at 47/3. Knocks from ustralia won the ODI World “They were discussing it the
boundaries) and KL Rahul (66 in 107 Travis Head (137 in 120 balls, with Cup defeating India on Sun- night before for a good hour-and-a-
balls, with one four) posted import- 15 fours and four sixes) and Marnus Aday and the Aussie opener half or two hours about what to do.
ant knocks. Labuschagne (58 in 110 balls, with David Warner has revealed why they Continued on next page... >>

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