India’s cricket team suffered a heartbreaking loss in the Cricket World Cup 2023 final against Australia. Despite winning 10 consecutive matches leading up to the final, India returned empty-handed as Australia emerged victorious by 6 wickets. Indian captain Rohit Sharma played a crucial role in giving his team a strong start at the top of the batting order with a quick-fire knock. However, his approach has been questioned by former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
Gavaskar raised concerns about Sharma’s approach, suggesting that he may have been “too greedy” during the final powerplay. Sharma was dismissed on the final ball of the powerplay while attempting to take on Glenn Maxwell. Throughout the World Cup, Sharma had adopted an aggressive approach to provide India with a strong start. However, Gavaskar expressed disappointment in seeing Sharma go “gung ho” in the final over of the powerplay, especially considering he had already hit two boundaries and Shubman Gill had been dismissed recently.
Gavaskar highlighted Travis Head’s remarkable catch that ended Sharma’s innings. He mentioned that the catch dashed India’s hopes of achieving a 300-plus score. Sharma had once again played a quickfire knock, scoring more than 40 runs. Gavaskar questioned whether Sharma’s attempt to capitalize on the remaining deliveries before the powerplay finished was driven by greed, considering Gill’s dismissal. Gavaskar posed the question of whether Sharma could have shown more restraint in his approach.
After Sharma’s departure, Virat Kohli took charge and continued to score runs while forming a valuable partnership with KL Rahul. However, once Kohli was dismissed by Pat Cummins, India struggled to find boundaries, particularly against Australia’s part-time bowlers. Gavaskar noted that Australia’s use of their fifth bowler was a gamble, but it paid off as it not only dismissed the Indian captain but also forced the other Indian batters to be cautious against non-regular bowlers. This cautious approach resulted in a slower scoring rate, possibly costing India around 30 runs.
In conclusion, India’s loss in the World Cup final has led to scrutiny of Rohit Sharma’s approach by Sunil Gavaskar. Despite Sharma’s quick-fire knock, his dismissal and the subsequent slowdown in scoring proved costly for India.
