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SPORTS DECEMBER 01, 2023 | The Indian Eye 56

All the stats coming through were
saying, bat first and put runs on the
board. But for once, when we asked
that question, I think a majority of us
said let’s just chase,” Warner said.
The Aussie batter revealed that
they decided to ball to understand
the conditions first and then chase.
“If we bowl well and understand
the conditions like that, we can then
chase and then anchor,” he added.
Warner also heaped praise on
Pat Cummins and said that he was
calm the whole time. “He has been
so calm the whole time. He was
criticised in England for his field-
ing placements, being defensive and
all that...It’s not fair. I get that as a
captain he is leading the ship but as
a whole unit, we take responsibility
ourselves. It was a testament to that
in terms of the way we went about it,”
he added.
Captaincy made the

difference: Suresh Raina
011 World Cup winner Suresh
Raina feels Australia skipper
2Pat Cummins’s uncanny cap-
taincy proved to be a major differ-
ence in the World Cup final between
India and Australia at the Narendra KL Rahul reacts after losing the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 final match against Australia in Ahmedabad on Sunday (ANI)
Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Cummins made an unprece- provided ample support to the bowl- your focus, and I think that’s a lesson Malik also said that KL Rahul was
dented move by putting India to bat ers, with the quick sharp reflexes of they will learn from this,” Raina said. trying to bat through the 50 overs.
in the final, putting the Indian team fielders stopping plenty of runs and Speaking on a Pakistani-based chan-
in a position that skipper Rohit Shar- their catching in the outfield was one Misbah and Shoaib hit out at nel, A Sports, Malik said that Rahul
ma wanted. But as the final started of the highlights. KL Rahul should have rotated his strike since
to transpire the move paid dividends “Another big factor was Austra- boundaries weren’t coming.
as the Baggy Greens restricted the lia’s fielding; I think they saved 30 ormer Pakistani skipper Mis- “KL Rahul was just trying to bat
unbeaten Man in Blue on a score of to 40 runs. From ball one, they were bah-ul-Haq hit out at Indian through the 50 overs. He should not
240. saving a lot of singles and boundar- Fwicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul have done that and should have tried
Some of the reasons that con- ies. There was Travis’ catch and some following his 66-run knock against to play his game. If you’re batting
tributed to the success were the con- excellent work in the deep from Da- Australia in the ODI World Cup in tough conditions and the bound-
stant rotation of bowlers and fielding vid Warner and Marnus Labuscha- 2023 final match on Sunday. While aries aren’t coming easily, then at
changes according to the game plan. gne,” Raina said. speaking on a Pakistani-based chan- least you’ve got to rotate strike. That
“What swung the game in Aus- The six-wicket victory marked nel, A Sports, Misbah said that Ra- wasn’t happening, there were a lot of
tralia’s favour was Pat Cummins’ Australia’s sixth in the history of hul did not trust the other batters in dot balls,” Malik said on A Sports.
captaincy. The way he brought the 50-over World Cup, on the oth- the first inning of the game. The former right-handed batter
Glenn Maxwell into the attack to get er hand, India remained with two He further added that the added that the Indian wicketkeep-
the wicket of Rohit Sharma with a World Cups following the team’s 31-year-old was thinking of reaching er-batter should have been more
brilliant catch from Travis Head was successes in 1983 in England and on the 250-run mark for his team and proactive against Australia in the
very smart. Adam Zampa was great home soil in 2011. it got difficult. However, the former ODI World Cup 2023 final match.
too, as was Cummins himself in dis- Raina was still lively by the per- cricketer also praised the Indian “He has been taking a lot of re-
missing Virat Kohli. They outplayed formance of India and believes that right-handed batter and said that he sponsibility when India loses quick
India and were very solid in their they can make amends at the next played very well against spin bowling. wickets upfront. If you will see his
planning,” Raina said in his column edition of the tournament in South “KL plays spin very well and we innings (against Australia) 66 off 107
for the ICC. Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in have seen it throughout the tourna- balls, it was not a KL Rahul innings.
“I think Cummins showed real 2027. ment. He plays well square of the He went into a zone, where he only
temperament in his captaincy. He “We will see the Indian team do- wicket, front of the wicket, and uses wanted to play the whole fifty overs.
changed his bowlers knowing he ing well again because they know how his feet really well. But today his ap- He should have been a little more
could put pressure on each India bat- to reach the latter stages of tourna- proach was that he was waiting. He proactive,” he added.
ter even though they were all in such ments now. It just takes a bit of time maybe was not trusting the other bat- He explained that the Narendra
good form. His tactics made all the to understand how to manage those ters. He was thinking about getting Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad had
difference, and his planning and ex- pressure situations, especially when the team to 250 and it got difficult,” long side boundaries and the Aussie
ecution was perfect,” Raina added. you’re at home. Sometimes when said Misbah. players used it well against the ‘Men
Australia’s brilliance in the field there’s a lot of pressure you can lose former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib in Blue’.

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