'Australia deceived me': How Aussies stunned R Ashwin and India in World Cup final

Ravichandran Ashwin, who was part of the Team India squad in the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup, praised Australia for winning the final against the Men in Blue and said that the record-extending sixth title for the Aussies was a result of them being tactically brilliant in the summit clash which took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Ashwin said that he expected Australia to follow their history and bat first in the final, but they stunned everyone with their decision. he added that the toss decision by Australia was based on the analysis of the black soil of the pitch which gets better to bat on in the evening.

“Let me make it clear, Australia did not win because of destiny or luck. They were tactically outstanding in the final,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “Australia deceived me. I thought Australia would bat first if they win the toss because, historically, it’s an Aussie thing to ‘win the toss and bat’. The wicket used for the final was not Ahmedabad soil, it was rather from Odisha. It was the kind of wicket that would not disintegrate too much.

“I was looking at the pitch during the mid-innings and that’s when I bumped into George Bailey, Australia’s chairman of selectors. I questioned him curiously why Australia didn’t opt to bat, for which he replied that they opted to bowl first since this was a black soil wicket, which usually gets better to bat on in the evening.

“He said that the South Africa game in Lucknow, which was played on red soil, helped Australia realize that while it’s better to bat first on red-soil surfaces, it’s always better to chase on black soil surfaces since the ball skids on well when the dew sets in.”

Ashwin credited Australia for carrying an injured Travis Head into the squad for the first half of the World Cup. Head would go on to put in player of the match performances in the semi-final and final.

“99 out of 100 times, teams would refuse to carry a player that’s injured in order to have a full 15-member squad at their disposal. But Australia were adamant that they will carry Head, even if he was not fit, because they had enormous faith in his abilities. By backing Head even when he was not fit, Australia sent a clear message to everyone that ‘we are backing our players’.

“All things considered, Australia’s extraordinary values and the belief they had in their players helped them win the World Cup,” he said.

Ashwin was also impressed with Australian skipper Pat Cummins’ bowling in the final which was done with an off-spinner’s field.

“Final was a tactical masterclass by Cummins, he had a 4-5 fielding setup, similar to an off-spinner, hitting stump line – he bowled only 3 balls in the 6 meter mark towards the stump line, not allowing batters to drive. He bowled his full quota of 10 overs without mid-off. A game breaking spell by Pat Cummins apart from calling the toss right,” said Ashwin.

Ashwin only played one match in the World Cup which was the opener against Australia in Chennai. The off-spinner said he was surprised he only played one match, besides adding that India had a “rock solid run” despite losing the final.

“I honestly never thought my World Cup memories would end with the Australia game in Chepauk. I was bowling well and I was in good rhythm,” Ashwin said.

“It was a disappointing end as our dreams got shattered, but India had a rock solid run. We played outstanding cricket throughout the World Cup.”