CWC 2023 Final Review!! The dust has yet to settle after yesterday’s seismic result that saw Australia add a record-extending sixth World Cup crown into an already loaded trophy cabinet, besting India by 6 wickets with 7 overs to spare. However, the time has now come for the careful and systematic. And it is time for a brutal postmortem of a World Cup campaign that captured the hearts, minds, and imagination of more than a billion people who were hoping that last night would be a fitting coronation for the Men in Blue in their own backyard after by and large being head and shoulders above the rest right from the first game. That is, until they found this yellow submarine a little too hot to handle.
There will be questions and hushed discussions about what would be the case had KL Rahul and Virat Kohli decided to take a little more risk. Rather than allowing themselves to be swallowed up by the seemingly never-ending spate of pressure. A situation that they were put in by the Australian bowling and fielding.
Or what if Rohit had not made the decision to give Shami the new ball!? And let Siraj have it like he has throughout the course of the tournament. While all these questions are being asked, there is another question that has quietly been making the rounds across. And that is the question of including veteran offie Ravichandran Ashwin in the 11 for the final.
Team Selection And The Dilemma That Skipper Rohit Sharma And Head-Coach Rahul Dravid Had!!?
The potential inclusion of Ashwin had been a massive talking point ahead of the finals. This is, due to the nature of the pitch was revealed to everyone. Another thing that was heavily inclining in the favor of picking Ashwin in the side was that he was part of the 11 in the league stage encounter between the two teams. It was Team India’s first match that took place in Chennai. And he bowled pretty well too. He was successful in that game, picking a wicket. And putting the Australians in a chokehold by not giving away too many runs.
Even in the optional practice sessions, Ashwin was seen having a very intense net session. He was trying all his variations that he possessed under the watchful gaze of coach Rahul Dravid and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey. He even went ahead and bowled quite a few rip-roaring leg breaks too. This is something that you usually do not see Ashwin doing.
Even on the morning of the final, just a couple of hours ahead of the final, it was Ashwin that was practicing on the main strip. He was shadow-bowling. And then again proceeded to have an intense bowling session too.
Less than 30 minutes away from the toss, news was making the rounds that Ashwin would start the final. Mo Siraj was said to be the one to make way for him. However, all these news were put to rest at the toss. Rohit Sharma at the toss said that they were going with an unchanged side.
Did This Decision Cost Team India The CWC 2023 Final And The World Cup Trophy!?
So, should Ashwin have started this game? There are a multitude of reasons to think he should have. To begin with, Ashwin has the wood over David Warner, having dominated that matchup time and again when both of them have come face to face in all formats. And with the way Warner plays Ash, it is quite evident that there is a mental block there in Warner’s mind too.
To add to that, Ashwin enjoys bowling to left-handers. This would have been a good ploy early on against Head and Warner, who are southpaws. Long story short, Ashwin has a great record against 4 of the 5 batsmen in Australia’s top 5.
Another reason in favor of Ashwin starting was the apparent lack of faith in Mo Siraj. While Siraj is the designated new-ball bowler alongside Bumrah, the final saw Mo Shami take the new ball. So if you do not trust your main bowler with his primary responsibility in the biggest game of the tournament, why pick him in the first place.
While India should be proud of the efforts they have put in the course of this World Cup, this question and the others might be a little difficult to answer. And yes, it has been a great tournament overall. However, the team bent down and did not put up a fight when it mattered. And this is what is hurting the fans the most!!
