Gautam Gambhir unhappy with KL Rahul’s defensive strategy in the World Cup final against Australia. KL Rahul got 66 from 107 balls with only one boundary in his innings.
Australia crushed India’s hopes of winning their third World Cup by defeating them by six wickets in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India batted first and scored a below-par total of 240 in their allocated 50 overs. In response, Australia easily chased down the mark in 43 overs, thanks to a magnificent century by Travis Head (137 off 120), clinching their sixth World Cup victory.
Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has slammed Indian hitters for being too passive in the middle overs. Notably, following a strong start from skipper Rohit Sharma (47 off 31 balls). KL Rahul (66 off 107 balls), Ravindra Jadeja (9 off 22 balls), and Suryakumar Yadav (18 off 28 balls) all struggled to get going, and India had to settle for a below-par total.
“It’s a two-edged sword.” But, as I’ve always maintained, the most daring squad will win the World Cup. I appreciate that it takes time to create a partnership, but 11 to 40 overs is a long time. “That risk should have been taken by someone. ” Gambhir told Sportskeeda.
In addition, Gambhir felt that KL Rahul should have been more aggressive during his partnership with Virat Kohli. As the two put up 67 runs off 109 balls for the fourth wicket.
“Kohli has played an important role in anchoring the innings, but the rest of the team should have been more aggressive.” KL should’ve left. What damage would it have done? We would have been 150 people if we had gone all out. But if we had been bold, we might have scored 310 and India would have won the World Cup. It’s not the 1990s anymore. A score of 240 is far from satisfactory. You’ll need at least 300 totals. “India was not courageous enough,” he continued.
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India failed to take on Australian spinners and part-timers
Notably, India’s cautious approach in the middle overs resulted in economical periods from Australian bowlers Adam Zampa (1/44, 10 overs), Pat Cummins (2/34, 10 overs), Mitchell Marsh (0/5, 2 overs), and Travis Head (0/4, 2 overs). As a result, India had to settle for a lower-than-par score, which Australia easily tracked down, therefore ending India’s chances of winning their second World Cup on home soil.
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