India vs Australia, CWC 2023 Final: Mast Head

AHMEDABAD: India’s thundering juggernaut came to a screeching halt in an anti-climactic finish as Australia denied a golden generation of Indian cricketers the silverware it so desperately craved by lifting an unprecedented sixth World Cup trophy, here on Sunday.

The Australians once again showed what meticulous planning and ruthless execution is all about, chasing 241 in just 43 overs with Travis Head (137 off 120 balls) once again proving to be India’s nemesis.

Prior to the showdown, Australia skipper Pat Cummins had said that there is nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent” and he kept his word. Skipper Rohit Sharma, a once-in-a-generation talent, Ravindra Jadeja, an all-rounder par excellence and an artist called Mohammed Shami possibly lost their last but arguably best shot at winning a 50-over World Cup.

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It was a fantastic knock by Head on a slow track, a perfect display of how to play spinners and pacers alike. Head had missed first part of the World Cup due to a broken hand but came back at the right time to once again torment the Indians with a hundred after scoring one in that World Test Championship final.

With every six that Head hit, a few hundred of fans left the stadium, the shoulders dropped and suddenly orange was more visible in the stands than blue. Head needed one ally for this middling total and found a perfect one in Marnus Labuschagne (58 not out off 110 balls), who played the second fiddle to perfection. Josh Hazlewood (2/60) and Mitchell Starc (3/55) after a few initial wayward overs found their length but it was one delivery from Cummins and his set-up that became the turning point. Cummins’ ball bounced a shade extra and Virat Kohli (54), trying a defensive jab towards the empty cover area, played on.

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