The World Cup Pulse

November 20

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Sixth for Australia, heartbreak for India

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India's one bad game in the 2023 World Cup came in the finals, at a slow Ahmedabad track, and cost them the ultimate glory. In front of a packed stadium, the home team - uneaten so far - were outplayed in all departments by Pat Cummins & Co as Australia clinched the ODI World Cup trophy for the sixth time with a six-wicket win, scripted by a spot-on bowling attack in the first half and Travis Head's stunning century in the second.

What Australia said...

First he took arguably the catch of the match to claim a big fish in Rohit Sharma and then he led the chase admirably with a hundred he'll not forget in a hurry - Travis Head was a deserving Player of the Final. Head in fact joined an elite list of players to win the PotM in semis and final, and skipper Cummins was a proud man after the punt they took on this explosive opener - what with Head joining the side only midway through the tournament due to a broken hand rehab - paid off spectacularly.

It was pure elation in the Australian camp, and Josh Hazlewood even went on to claim this win was bigger than the home World Cup triumph back in 2015! With this glory, Australia have now won the ICC trophy in all three formats of the game inside the last couple of years and, to top it off, retained the Ashes in England earlier in 2023. Of the lot, Cummins picked out this ODI World Cup victory as the pinnacle.

A humbling for India

It was a sobering evening for India cricket, and close to one lakh people at the Narendra Modi Stadium represented the country's somber mood as Rohit Sharma & Co. walked out of the colossal complex with slouched shoulders and shattered morale. Where India perhaps lost the finals was the middle-overs of their batting. Between overs 11-40, India scored 117/3 at an run-rate of 3.90 as opposed to their tournament average rate of 5.72 in that period, and could eventually post only 240. Kaushik Rangarajan analyses the cascading effect of India's middle-overs struggle.

What the Indian camp said...

"We tried everything we could," was a phrase Rohit Sharma used more than once in the aftermath of the defeat. The captain however remained proud of their journey to the final. Of course there were a lot of emotions and a lot of disappointment in the Indian dressing room, and Rahul Dravid noted that it was tough to see that as coach. The India head coach appreciated the effort the team had put in to give themselves the best shot of winning the Cup.

Pic of the day

November 19

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The summit clash

This World Cup didn't quite get running until these two heavyweights made their bows in Chennai. It won't end until these two have had their final say. The feats of the one returning empty-handed from Motera will be tinged in disappointment. An 11-kilo mass of gold and silver plating will offer the ultimate reflection for those of the other, writes Kaushik Rangarajan as he previews the India-Australia final in Ahmedabad.

A pace test for power-packed Australia

David Warner, Travis Head, and Mitchell Marsh make them the most aggressive top three, with all three averaging north of 45 and striking at 110+ in the first Powerplay this year. At the opposite corner, you have the frugal but penetrating trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. Between them, they average 20.64 in this phase and concede at just 4.28 per over and is by far the most skillful new ball attack in World Cup 2023, writes Deepu Narayanan in the tactical preview of the final.

A trial by spin in Ahmedabad?

The 22 yards at the centre of the colossal venue that will play host to the ultimate ODI between India and Australia with the world title on the line received incessant attention throughout the day on the eve of the match. The main concern emerging post the scrutiny, from an Australian perspective anyway, was about the five-meter patch in front of the crease on both sides of the ground. The verdict was that these patches on both sides of the pitch had not been watered, or not to the same extent, anyway as the centre of the wicket. Bharat Sundaresan on the pitch at the Narendra Modi stadium.

It's for us to do it for him - Rohit

India skipper Rohit Sharma showered praise on coach Rahul Dravid on the eve of the World Cup final. "What he has done for Indian cricket is massive. And he also feels that he wants to be part of this big occasion. And it's for us to do it for him," said Rohit. The skipper dwelt upon the coach's contribution in giving freedom to the players and backing them to the hilt, and also emphasised on the role clarity for the players. Vijay Tagore on what Rohit said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the final.

'Nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent'

Pat Cummins admitted that India have been a formidable side, but that Australia have played India in India regularly in the last few years, and it is unlikely to take them by surprise. The Australian skipper also said the team had to embrace upsetting the crowd, and relish the chance to silence them whenever they could. "The crowd's obviously going to be very one-sided but it's also in sport there's nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent and that's the aim for us." Here's what he said at the pre-match formalities.

November 18

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Gill - The shrewd-stylish gatherer

Did you see that Shubman Gill performance in Mumbai? It was easy to miss, right there in the middle of that century, that other 70-ball century, that tone-defining 40-something and that seven-fer. This has been Gill's modus operandi through the World Cup, to operate in the blanks: to play those 'good shots' and take percentage options while Rohit Sharma punctures opposition egos and Virat Kohli runs them ragged, writes Kaushik Rangarajan.

Australia bringing out their 'veri' best

There's a sense of veri about an Australian team in World Cup knockouts. Veri is Tamil for rage or a heightened sense of fieriness. And it's one that most Tamilian households have associated with an Australian team in world events once they get into the business end of the tournament anyway. But it'll take a lot more though for Cummins and his team to challenge the might of the seemingly-indomitable Indians in Ahmedabad on Sunday, writes Bharat Sundaresan.

India, Australia no stranger to big occasions - Starc

About playing India in the final, and taking on the only unbeaten side in the tournament, Mitchell Starc was matter-of-factly in his response, accepting that it's unlikely that a team would win a World Cup without beating the best side of the World Cup, and that the two sides were no strangers to big occasions. Here's what he had to say.

South Africa's hype, hope, happiness and hurt

South Africa's moonshot at winning this World Cup - they narrowly avoided having to qualify their way into the tournament, and were not considered among the major threats - was over. They won seven of their nine league games but Thursday's result means they have not won six of their seven World Cup knockout matches, writes Telford Vice.

De Kock rounds off brilliant ODI career with WC redemption

Quinton de Kock is one of six players to have aggregated 5,000-plus runs as a designated wicket-keeper in ODIs till date. His tally of 6770 ODI runs is the seventh most for South Africa. The 21 ODI hundreds scored by Quinton de Kock is the joint third-most for South Africa. Only 6 players have achieved a treble of 5000-plus runs with a 45-plus average and a 90-plus strike-rate in ODIs till date, and de Kock is one of them. Roshan Gede with the numbers.

An appalling let-down all-around

England will look back at the end of a glorious white-ball era for some of their all-time greats. Batons are to be passed on and rebuilding and rethinking will be the focal points of what lies ahead. There is likely to be wholesale changes to the outlook of the team, but maybe along with that there would also be focus on different skillsets, writes Ganesh Chandrasekaran.

ODI cricket is in healthy shape - Greg Chappell

Greg Chappell has said one of the biggest takeaways from the World Cup in India is that the ODI format is in great shape. His vote of confidence in the format comes at a time many pundits of the game have been questioning the format and even have suggested it should be reduced to 40 overs. Here's what he had to say in a chat with Vijay Tagore.

November 17

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Another semifinal loss, another final appearance

1992, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2023 - Yet again for South Africa, it was a semifinal exit, against an opposition they didn't share the merriest of semifinal memories with - Australia, who have entered their eighth 50-over World Cup final. In a low-scoring encounter in Kolkata, Australia held their nerves against South Africa's spin challenge to emerge victories. The differentiating factor was their advantage in the first powerplay with both bat and ball. Travis Head's all-round show overshadowed a wonderful century by David Miller.

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Passing the baton

Nine of the 15 players in South Africa's men's World Cup squad are likely to end their international careers as they started them - without a World Cup trophy, writes Telford Vice. It wasn't a choke this time, it was a fight till the end. But will that be enough to shed the tag they've carried as a burden for over two decades? For now, they've passed the baton to the next generation.

Uncurbing enthusiasm and keeping receipts

Adam Zampa may have not had the best of the outings in the semifinal against South Africa, but it's been a tournament to remember for the leggie who sits comfortably at the top of the list among wicket-taking spinners in World Cup 2023. In an exclusive interview with Bharat Sundaresan, the leggie opens up about his hatred for the constant talk of the "Australian way", wanting to be his own man, why he doesn't always sing the national anthem and how his life has been influenced by Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld.

The promise that withered

New Zealand endured quite a challenging and extreme campaign. After peaking early and dominating the first half of the league phase, they struggled to buy a win for a while. In the end, it was the victory in their last league match that sealed their semifinal berth. But up against a rampaging Indian side, a team they've had a measure of in the past but a team, they were outplayed despite Daryl Mitchell's fighting century. Pratyush Sinha looks back at their campaign of unfulfilled promises.