The 2023 Cricket World Cup Final, one of the most anticipated matches in the world of cricket, was held on Sunday, November 19, 2023. This great battle took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The stadium was filled to the brim to watch the contest between the host, India, and Australia, mixing the cheers of millions of spectators with the hopes of billions of fans.
At the start of the match, Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss and invited India to bat first. Due to the Indian team’s brilliant batting performance throughout the tournament, billions of Indian fans were dreaming of winning the World Cup on home soil. But the Indian batting lineup came under pressure from the very beginning against Australia’s well-planned bowling.
Opener Rohit Sharma started with his characteristic aggressive flair but could not prolong his innings. Shubman Gill also failed on the day. Thereafter, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul tried to build a partnership, but the scoring rate was slow. Even though Virat Kohli played a patient innings, he was dismissed before reaching a big score. KL Rahul also played an important innings, but he too could not turn the tide of the innings.
The Australian bowlers were in brilliant form on the day. The trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins maintained continuous pressure on the Indian batsmen. Due to their accurate line and length bowling and exceptional fielding, the Indian batsmen genuinely struggled for runs. With no big partnership in the middle order and the loss of wickets in quick succession while attempting to score fast towards the end, India was all out for just 240 runs in the allotted 50 overs.
India Scorecard
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate | Mode of Dismissal |
| Rohit Sharma (C) | 47 | 31 | 4 | 3 | 151.61 | Catch – Travis Head, Bowled – Glenn Maxwell |
| Shubman Gill | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 57.14 | Catch – Adam Zampa, Bowled – Mitchell Starc |
| Virat Kohli | 54 | 63 | 4 | 0 | 85.71 | Bowled – Pat Cummins |
| Shreyas Iyer | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 133.33 | Catch – Josh Inglis, Bowled – Pat Cummins |
| KL Rahul (WK) | 66 | 107 | 1 | 0 | 61.69 | Catch – Josh Hazlewood, Bowled – Mitchell Starc |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 9 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 40.90 | Catch – Josh Inglis, Bowled – Josh Hazlewood |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 18 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 64.29 | Catch – Josh Inglis, Bowled – Josh Hazlewood |
| Mohammed Shami | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 60.00 | Catch – Adam Zampa, Bowled – Mitchell Starc |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 | LBW – Adam Zampa |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 10 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 55.55 | Run Out – Pat Cummins |
| Mohammed Siraj | 9* | 8 | 1 | 0 | 112.50 | Not Out |
- Extras: 18 (Leg byes-8, Wides-9, No-balls-1)
- Total Runs: 240 (10 Wickets in 50 Overs)
- Wickets Fallen: 1-30 (Gill), 2-76 (Rohit), 3-81 (Shreyas), 4-148 (Kohli), 5-173 (Jadeja), 6-203 (Rahul), 7-218 (Shami), 8-214 (Bumrah), 9-230 (Kuldeep), 10-240 (Suryakumar)
Australia Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Mitchell Starc | 10 | 0 | 55 | 3 | 5.50 |
| Josh Hazlewood | 10 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 6.00 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 6 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 5.83 |
| Pat Cummins | 10 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 3.40 |
| Adam Zampa | 10 | 0 | 44 | 1 | 4.40 |
| Mitchell Marsh | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Travis Head | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2.00 |
Replying with the bat, Australia also suffered an early setback. Thanks to exceptional bowling by Mohammed Shami, they quickly lost 3 wickets and came under pressure (3 wickets for 47 runs). However, from this point, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne turned the match around. This pair batted coolly and responsibly, breaking all resistance from the Indian bowlers.
Travis Head was outstanding with the bat on the day. He played one attractive shot after another and gave the Indian fielders no chance. Marnus Labuschagne patiently provided him with able support and hit a crucial half-century. Their long partnership virtually ended India’s dream of victory.
Travis Head scored a magnificent century of 137 runs, which laid the foundation for Australia’s victory. Labuschagne played a valuable innings of 58 runs. In the end, Australia reached the target, losing only 4 wickets in 43 overs.
Australia Scorecard
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate | Mode of Dismissal |
| David Warner | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 233.33 | Catch – Virat Kohli, Bowled – Mohammed Shami |
| Travis Head | 137 | 120 | 15 | 4 | 114.17 | Catch – Shubman Gill, Bowled – Mohammed Siraj |
| Mitchell Marsh | 15 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 100.00 | Catch – KL Rahul, Bowled – Jasprit Bumrah |
| Steve Smith | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 44.44 | LBW Bowled – Jasprit Bumrah |
| Marnus Labuschagne | 58* | 110 | 4 | 0 | 52.73 | Not Out |
| Glenn Maxwell | 2* | 1 | 0 | 0 | 200.00 | Not Out |
- Extras: 18 (Leg byes-3, Wides-11, Byes-4)
- Total Runs: 241 (4 Wickets in 43 Overs)
- Wickets Fallen: 1-16 (Warner), 2-41 (Marsh), 3-47 (Smith), 4-239 (Head)
India Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 9 | 2 | 43 | 2 | 4.77 |
| Mohammed Shami | 7 | 1 | 47 | 1 | 6.71 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 10 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 4.30 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 10 | 0 | 56 | 0 | 5.60 |
| Mohammed Siraj | 7 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 6.42 |
Australia won by 6 wickets with 42 balls remaining.
This victory once again proved Australia’s supremacy in the history of cricket. By winning the World Cup for the sixth time, they showed why they are one of the global powerhouses of cricket. On the other hand, the hearts of Indian cricket fans were broken as the dream of winning the World Cup on home soil remained unfulfilled. The pin-drop silence in the stadium and the picture of disappointment on the players’ faces remain a silent witness to that shattered dream.
Travis Head received the Man of the Match award for his match-winning, brilliant innings.
Virat Kohli was selected as the Player of the Tournament for his consistent batting throughout the entire tournament.
Although the 2023 Cricket World Cup Final brought a disappointing end for Indian cricket fans, for the cricket world, it was a testament to a thrilling battle. While India’s batting failure will be a topic of discussion, Australia’s indomitable spirit and Travis Head’s heroic innings will be etched in gold letters in the history of cricket for a long time. This final was held on November 19, 2023, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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