It is not just a game, as one can assume, following a set of criticisms from experts. They came to light after Australia outplayed India in the ICC World Test Championship 2023, losing the one-off test match by 209 runs at The Oval. The ICC has yet to update the ranking for the test format. It is less likely that India will retain the top spot for a while. Their next test series is against the West Indies. They might take a chance and dominate the format when they return.
For now, the loss against the Aussies has seen Sunil Gavaskar and Saurav Ganguly speak their hearts out on Team India’s performance.
Rohit Sharma is shattered, and so are all the fans. Making it to the final event is commendable; however, winning the trophy would have meant the world to everyone back home. Experienced players like Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have a lot to reflect on about their performances, especially Pujara, who must have noted that playing one unnecessary shot for the outer edge has cost the side momentum.
Sunil Gavaskar Takes a Dig at Kohli’s Commitment
Commitment more or less means asking him to stick to his words. Virat Kohli had performed under pressure many times and brought victory at a time when it looked far-fetched. Performance in the final of WTC 2023 could have made a lot of difference.
The former Indian batsman is aware of this and has therefore stated that the batting order was inadequate. He added that Kohli discusses winning the match by playing a prolonged inning, which he mitigates by playing the ball well outside the off stump.
This is in reference to his wicket in the first innings when Steve Smith slid to the second slip for the catch at Starc’s throw. India needed to preserve his wicket since the chase was for 469, or at least get the score closer to it and ease the pain during the second innings.
Saurav Ganguly Notes: Top 6 Performed Unexpected
Ganguly has led the side with a different bunch of players. He understands that chasing big targets means top batters have to protect their wickets. Victory may be out of the question, but landing a tie remains within the frame. He said that the top six Indian batters were average.
Dravid has admitted the same, stating that batters will agree to it. The head coach has simultaneously backed his men by highlighting that the same batters have two test series in Australia and many test matches in England.
Rahul Dravid believes that backing bowlers can win them test matches, even in a phase when batters are average.
Other Experts Seek Improvements
Everyone desires India to bring home an ICC trophy, and there is no question about it. The last ICC tournament trophy was won in 2013 under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. This is disappointing because India possesses talent but lacks the mentality to be aggressive when the situation calls for it.
Ravi Shastri, a former Indian coach, said that Rohit Sharma and Pujara must be kicking themselves for playing those shots at a time when they were settled on the pitch. Sachin Tendulkar found the absence of Ashwin to be a turning point from the beginning. That is also the point when many of the cricket betting sites showed an inclination towards Australia bagging the trophy.
What worked well for the Aussies was Smith and Head giving time to themselves and bringing up 121 & 163 on the board, respectively. Contributing to this was a poor show put up by Indian bowlers, who conceded 157 runs on the first day in the last session without taking any wickets. Dravid has called this disappointing by saying that bowlers went too wide to give sufficient room to Travis Head.
Conclusion
What’s done is done; Australia has lifted the trophy that was previously in Kane Williamson’s hands. India was on the losing side and is still on the losing side. The only thing bringing ease to the fans’ minds is that India is the only country to have made it to the final of the ICC WTC two times back-to-back.
