NEW DELHI: It was the dreadful night of November 19 in 2023 when the Australian cricket team, against the odds, beat India in India to clinch a coveted and a record-extending sixth ODI World Cup title.
At a packed house at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium which had a sea of blue of over 1,00,000 spectators rooting for the hosts, Pat Cummins and co. stunned each and everyone to silence and shattered the hearts of over a billion fans to clinch the title.
Ending India’s dream run in the 2023 ODI World Cup — which saw Rohit Sharma and co. remaining unbeaten till the final hurdle — Australia emerged victorious in a thrilling and epic finale.
The match saw both teams showcasing incredible grit and determination but it was Australia who held their nerves to lay their hands on the coveted title.
Put in to bat after losing the toss, India got off to a decent start despite losing Shubman Gill cheaply for 4.
The star duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli then added 46 runs for the second wicket but the fall of Rohit and Shreyas Iyer in quick succession rattled India around the first powerplay.
Kohli and KL Rahul then steadied the Indian ship with a 67-run stand but as the former fell for 54 in the 29th over to Cummins, it shook the entire nation.
The Aussies then kept the Indian batters in check and regular strikes never allowed them to score freely.
A resilient 66-run knock from Rahul however took India to a respectable 240 at the end of 50 overs.
In the chase, Australia had a troubled start as they found themselves at 47 for three inside 7 overs.
But with luck by his side, opener Travis Head played the knock of his life as his incredible ton snatched the game away from India.
Head (120-ball 137) along with Marnus Labuschagne (58 off 110) stitched a monster 192-run stand as India lost the final by six wickets.
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