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The “pitch talk” had taken over the
conversation around the Cricket World Cup 2023 long before the official names
of the two teams were announced. There have been a lot of conversations about
the type of pitch used in the World Cup knockout stages since the semi-finals.
When India lost to Australia in the final at Ahmedabad due to a slow and
unproductive wicket, the legendary Ricky Ponting criticised the hosts for their
“tactical blunder” in terms of pitch preparation.
The captain of Australia, Pat Cummins, won the toss
and decided to field first. Rohit Sharma, the captain of India, stated that he
would have preferred to bat first when questioned about his preference.
Although the toss gave both captains what they want, the Australian side’s
evaluation proved to be advantageous.
“It was very, very sub-continental conditions
today,” said Ricky Ponting while commentating during the match. “A
wicket preparation that has probably ended up backfiring on India to be totally
fair.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels it was
the nature of the pitch that gave Australia a chance to beat India, who were
unbeaten in the tournament until the final.
“Strategically they are a very clever team,”
Vaughan said in commentary of Australia. “They’ve clearly got a very
clever think tank. I don’t think they are a 320 side, they are a 280 side and
preparing a pitch like this gave Australia a chance.”
“They did exactly what Pat Cummins said they
would, they’ve silenced the crowd. They’ve done it in great fashion. I don’t
know anyone who thought the game would be done in 43 overs with Australia
coasting to the target,” Vaughan asserted.