Image Credit- PTI
India lost to Australia by six wickets in the World
Cup final on Sunday, ending their hopes of winning a third championship. Guests
India entered the game as the favourites, not just because they had won all of
their matches in the competition but also because they had seldom faced any
opposition, including Australia in the first encounter between the two teams.
Australia upset India in the final, even though they had lost the previous game
by six wickets.
India had scored more than 350 in three of their
previous four games prior to the final; their only other loss came against
South Africa. In one game, they had scored 326 and won by an astounding 243
runs. Nevertheless, Australia managed to chase it down in 43 overs after they
were bowled out for just 240 runs in 50 overs during the final. India managed
to smash just four fours and no sixes for the remainder of their innings, after
having scored 80 runs in the opening ten overs. According to former batsman Gautam
Gambhir, it would have been preferable if India had attempted to smash more
boundaries in the middle overs, with someone taking more chances.
“It’s a double-edged sword. But I have always said
this, the most courageous team will go on to win the World Cup. I can
understand that you need time to build a partnership but 11 to 40 overs is a
very, very long time. Someone should have taken that risk,” Gambhir told
Sportskeeda.
Gambhir acknowledged that India might have settled for
a lower total if they had continued to be aggressive, but they still need to
have made an effort to score more quickly. The former opener, who was crucial
to India’s triumph in that World Cup final with a score of 97, claimed that
reaching 240 should never have been possible.
“I would have actually liked India going really
aggressive with their top 6-7 batters even if they had been all out for 150. I
would have been fine. But if you feel you can defend 240 in a World Cup
final…that is not where you fight. It is either this way or that. Either we
go 150 all out or 300. That is where India have lacked. That is where India
have not gone on to win ICC tournaments. Rohit should have sent the message
before the game that even if I get out we should go aggressive,” he said.