World Cup 2023 Final: Aussies Lift Their 6th World Cup Trophy
The World Cup 2023 final turned into a big heartbreak for over a billion Bharatiya fans across the country and the world yesterday as the Australians were at their absolute best in Ahmedabad. They won the toss and chose to field first, but the men in blue looked in fine touch in the initial ten overs of the innings. Although Australia’s Mitchell Starc struck early by getting Shubman Gill to play a rash shot and get caught, skipper Rohit Sharma went blazing even as Virat Kohli got set.
However, Aussie skipper Pat Cummins played a gambit by getting batsman Glen Maxwell to bowl to them, which paid off. A dangerous Rohit went for a big hit, which went wrong and was caught on 47. The next shock soon came for the ‘Blue Army’ after Shreyas Iyer lost his nerves and soon nicked skipper Cummins’ deliver to the wicketkeeper. With all hopes resting on Virat Kohli, the ace batsman batted sensibly with KL Rahul, who was also dependable with the bat in the World Cup 2023 final.
They only dealt in singles but kept the run rate in control. After getting their team close to 150 on the back of his own half-century, Kohli was tricked by Cummins, and his dismissal silenced the crowd. The middle-order batsmen simply could not find the nerves to start hitting the big shots, as Ravindra Jadeja, Suryakumar Yadav, and KL Rahul, despite his admirable knock of 64, did not take any risks and could barely score any boundaries. In the end, Bharat was restricted to a humble 241.
In response, Bharat’s bowlers put the pressure back on the Aussie batsmen as Mohammad Shami stepped up to the challenge once again by trapping David Warner on 7. Jasprit Bumrah soon joined in by dismissing Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith in quick successions. Bharat once again got hope as Australia were reduced to 47-3. Thereon, however, Travis Head became resolute and faced the pressure fearlessly with Marnus Labuschagne as the pair began taking the game away from Bharat. Head scored a brilliant 137, whereas Labuschagne hit a supporting 58.
Siraj got Head out with just two runs short of a victory, but Glen Maxwell comfortably finished the World Cup 2023 final by hitting the winning runs on the very next ball. The men in blue took the defeat stoically but were visibly and expectedly dejected after losing their only match in this tournament. While Head was awarded the ‘Player of the Match,’ Virat Kohli was named the ‘Player of the Series’ for being the highest run-scorer (765 runs). By winning this World Cup 2023 final, Australia has thus become the world champions for a record sixth time in the history of cricket.
Image source: AP
