‘Doctored Pitch Cost India World Cup Victory Against Australia’ – Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif points finger at doctored pitch for India's World Cup final loss.
It has been more than three months since Team India lost the ODI World Cup 2023 against Australia at their home ground. But the pain and agony remain the same as India, who remained unbeaten throughout the league stage, faltered when it mattered the most.
While the batting line-up and our bowling had a lot to criticize as they all came under pressure in the big match. Once again, one thing that played a big role was the slow pitch offered for the high-octane clash in the prestigious tournament.
Finally, an Indian cricketer had the guts to call it out, as former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif stated that the Indian management did a very wrong job by asking the pitch curator to prepare a slow pitch for the final of the 2023 World Cup.
Here’s what Mohammad Kaif said in a show with Lallantop:
“I was at the Narendra Modi Stadium and saw Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma checking the pitch for three days. The colour of the pitch changed. If someone from the home team says we didn’t have any say about the track, it is a big lie. Had the game been played on a flat track, India could have easily won the World Cup. We had champion players in that team, but the team got stuck due to a doctored pitch.”
The Indian team fell into its own trap as the batters could not pose any serious threat to the Australian bowling line-up, while Australia chased down the target very effectively. The pitch improved in the second half, and dew was a factor.
“Pat Cummins knew how the pitch would play, and Australia generally bat after winning the toss, but they changed their planning for the final against India. The dew factor was on the back of the Australians’ minds, and they made a call that paid off.”
India could only manage 240 runs after Pat Cummins elected to field first. Australia did not have any problem chasing as Travis Head‘s century guided them to a comfortable six-wicket victory.
