World Cup 2023 final: India post 240/10 against Australia
Team India has posted 240/10 against Australia in the high-voltage ICC Cricket World Cup final in Ahmedabad. While Virat Kohli and KL Rahul slammed half-centuries, the Australian bowlers were disciplined on the big day. Mitchell Starc claimed three wickets. The track at the Narendra Modi Stadium certainly challenged the Indian batters. Hence, the Aussies cannot afford to be complacent. Here are further details.
India 80/2 after the first powerplay
Rohit yet again went after the bowlers from the outset and made great utilization of the field restrictions. He smashed the likes of Starc and Josh Hazlewood for boundaries as India were 80/2 after the first 10 overs. The Indian skipper managed 31-ball 47 balls before falling prey to Glenn Maxwell. His opening partner Shubman Gill could only manage a seven-ball 4.
The Kohli-Rahul partnership
The dismissal of Rohit and Shreyas Iyer (4) in quick intervals meant India were reduced to 81/3. Kohli and Rahul steadied the ship with a 67-run stand. The only boundary in this partnership came from Kohli's blade. While Kohli kept the scoreboard moving through rotation of strike, Rahul played the second fiddle. There was a boundary drought of 97 deliveries during this phase.
A steady 66 from Rahul
Rahul continued his fight following Kohli's dismissal and took India past the 200-run mark. He smashed a solitary boundary during the course of his 107-ball 66. This was his third 50-plus score of the duel as he finished the tournament with 452 runs at 75.33. These are the most runs by a designated Indian keeper in a WC edition.
Rohit goes past Williamson
With his 29th run, Rohit went past NZ's Kane Williamson to become the captain with the most runs in an edition of the ODI WC. The latter returned with 578 runs at 82.57 in the 2019 competition. While Rohit finished the event with 597 runs at 54.27, his strike rate of 125.95 is the second-highest among batters with 450-plus runs in a WC edition.
Kohli goes past Ponting
Kohli ended up scoring 54 off 63 balls (4 fours). Playing his 37th WC match, Kohli went past Australia's Ricky Ponting's tally of 1,743 runs to become the second-highest run-getter in ODI WCs. The former now boasts 1,795 runs at 59.8. He is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar (2,278). Kohli's tally of 17 fifty-plus WC scores is only second to that of Tendulkar (21).
Leading run-getter of the event
Kohli finished the tournament with 765 runs at 95.62 (50s: 6, 100s: 3). In the semi-final game against NZ, he displaced Tendulkar (673 in 2003) as the batter with most runs in a WC edition. As per ESPNcricinfo, the 35-year-old became the first player to accomplish nine 50-plus scores in a WC edition. He also became the first batter to complete 50 ODI tons.
Is the total good enough?
Though India's total is certainly not daunting, the Aussies have a job in hand. The dry nature of the surface favors the spinners. Hence, spin twins Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav will enjoy operating in the middle overs. The Aussie batters will have to apply themselves in the middle as all the Indian bowlers are in top form.
SKY made 18 runs
India's designated keeper, Suryakumar Yadav struggled to get going in the game. He could not connect the big shots and scored 18 off 28 balls. He scored a solitary boundary. The failure of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (9 off 22 balls) also hurt the Indian team.
How did the Aussie bowlers perform?
Starc was the pick of the Australian bowlers as he finished with 3/55 in 10 overs. Adam Zampa, who claimed 1/44 in 10 overs, finished with 23 scalps, the joint-most for any spinner in a WC edition. He joined SL's Muttiah Muralitharan. Glenn Maxwell (1/35 in 6 overs) also contributed well. Skipper Pat Cummins (2/34) and Hazlewood (2/60) also took vital wickets.
