Cricket World Cup: India lost to Australia in the final by 6 wickets.© AFP
The Cricket World Cup 2023 final loss of the Indian cricket team still rankles the heart of the fans. After 20 years, the Rohit Sharma-led India cricket team had a chance to avenge the loss of Sourav Ganguly‘s side to Australia in the 2003 Cricket World Cup final. Instead, it was the Australian cricket team yet again which trumped India in the final of a ODI Cricket World Cup. Going into the final, the Indian cricket team was the favourites on the back of a 10-match winning streak. But Australia saved their best for the final game to first restrict India to a below-par total of 240 and then reached the target with seven overs to spare.
One stat that stood out in the Indian cricket team innings was that the Rohit Sharma-led side scored only four boundaries outside the first powerplay. Rohit Sharma gave a powerful start but after he departed the Indian middle-order failed to keep the momentum up. The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium was slow but even then India could have shown more intent, feels 2011 ODI Cricket World Cup winner Harbhajan Singh.
“That is where the game changed. I have never seen, covered or played a game where you score only four boundaries in 40 overs. From 10 till 50th overs, India scored only four boundaries. It’s a very shocking shocking stat, if I look back and see what happened,” Harbhajan Singh said on India Today.
“Obviously there was more pressure. The intent wasn’t there to hit boundaries. It was more of a survival mode and let’s see what happened later on. That kind of a mode than showing the intent to hit boundaries.
“When you are looking to play the final, you have to look forward to put your foot forward. You have to take on the opposition and look into their eyes. That is exactly what happens when Virat Kohli bats. When Rohit got out, then everything looked completely different in that game. No boundaries in 40 overs is a big, big stat.”
Harbhajan went on to add that runs can be scored at a decent pace in ODIs even without Taking risks.
“There has to be something more than the mind. When you are playing one day cricket, it is all about hitting those areas and finding those boundaries. I am not talking about playing risky shots. That was a shocker,” Harbhajan Singh said.
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