Aakash Chopra believes India’s choice to host the 2023 World Cup final versus Australia on a black-soil field backfired.
On Sunday, the Men in Blue were bowled out for 240 after being asked to bat first at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. The Australians won their sixth World Cup after chasing down the score with six wickets and seven overs to spare.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel after India’s loss, Chopra stated that the hosts picked the inappropriate surface for the game. He elaborated:
“I feel India conceded a point right at the start. India probably would have had the choice of pitch they wanted to play on. The Indian team chose the black-soil pitch, where there will be a lot of help for spin. However, the starting point was probably slightly defensive.”
Aakash Chopra
The former India opener added:
“We shouldn’t have even needed to think about the sort of pitch we should have played on against Australia. If you get to bat first, the pitch shouldn’t be one that doesn’t allow you to play with freedom. When you chose a dry black-soil pitch, you got stuck in your own web, if you think in that way.”
Aakash Chopra
India reached 80/2 after 10 overs with to Rohit Sharma’s 31-ball 47. However, they only scored 160 runs in the following 40 overs, with only four boundaries, handing the edge to Australia.
“A team that makes fewer mistakes generally finds themselves in better situations” – Aakash Chopra on Australia’s winning traits
Aakash Chopra emphasized a few distinguishing elements in crunch games. He went on to say:
“The final encounters are driven by two factors. The first is that a team that makes fewer mistakes generally finds themselves in better situations. They are the teams that absorb pressure. The others are the ones who dare to play fearlessly.”
Aakash Chopra
Pat Cummins and colleagues, according to Chopra, were better than India in each of those categories. He stated:
“So these are two big factors. If you do handle these two factors well, no one can stop you from winning. That doesn’t guarantee you success but you will win tomorrow if not today, because you are a winner if you have these two qualities. Australia showed that by doing it.”
Aakash Chopra
After seven overs, Australia was reduced to 47/3 in their run chase. However, Travis Head took a risk and hammered a 120-ball 137 to lead them to a convincing victory.