Follow UsRavichandran Ashwin, in his Youtube channel, lavished praise on Australia for their stunning showing in the World Cup Final against India in Ahmedabad and claimed that he was left astonished by their perfect tactics, which he claimed was the reason the Kangaroos pocketed their sixth World Cup title.
Reflecting on the World Cup in his Youtube channel, Ashwin remarked that he was expecting Australia to bat first in the final if they won the toss but was surprised by their decision to field.
Ashwin said that he bumped into the Kangaroos’ chairman of selectors, George Bailey, at the end of the first innings and was taken aback by Bailey’s justification for bowling first, which he claimed spoke volumes about the Aussies’ unmatched preparation.
“Let me make it clear, Australia did not win because of destiny or luck. They were tactically outstanding in the final. I watched their performance in the final with absolute fascination,” Ashwin said in his Youtube channel.
“Australia and Pat Cummins deceived me. I thought Australia would bat first if they win the toss because, historically, it’s an Aussie thing to ‘win the toss and bat’. The wicket used for the final was not Ahmedabad soil, it was rather from Odisha. It was the kind of wicket that would not disintegrate too much.
“I was looking at the pitch during the mid-innings and that’s when I bumped into George Bailey, Australia’s chairman of selectors. I questioned him curiously why Australia didn’t opt to bat, for which he replied that they opted to bowl first since this was a black soil wicket, which usually gets better to bat on in the evening.
“He said that the South Africa game in Lucknow, which was played on red soil, helped Australia realize that while it’s better to bat first on red-soil surfaces, it’s always better to chase on black soil surfaces since the ball skids on well when the dew sets in.”
Ashwin was full of praise for the bowling performance of Pat Cummins, who he said shocked him by basically ‘bowling to an off-spinner’s field’.
“What Pat Cummins did with the ball was also nothing short of extraordinary. To not have a mid-off, have a 4-5 field and bowl with such accuracy was remarkable.
“I’ve never seen a fast bowler bowl to an off-spinner’s field and execute so perfectly, not bowling a single overpitched delivery. It was a tactical masterclass. Australia had us there. They were deserved winners.”
Ashwin, in his video, also said that Australia sent a message to the rest of the field by opting to carry an injured Travis Head in their squad. Head did not feature in the first half of the World Cup but ended the competition with consecutive Player of the Match showings, including a stunning century in the final.
“99/100 times, teams would refuse to carry a player that’s injured in order to have a full 15-member squad at their disposal. But Australia were adamant that they’ll carry Head, even if he was not fit, because they had enormous faith in his abilities.
“By backing Head even when he was not fit, Australia sent a clear message to everyone: ‘we are backing our players’.
“All things considered, Australia’s extraordinary values and the belief they had in their players helped them win the World Cup,” Ashwin said.
Reflecting on his own campaign, Ashwin said that he never imagined that his World Cup would end with him just playing a solitary match. The 37-year-old said that the unfortunate injury to Hardik Pandya effectively ended his own campaign.
"I honestly never thought my World Cup memories would end with the Australia game in Chepauk. I was bowling well and I was in good rhythm,” Ashwin said.
“Both Rohit and Rahul had clearly laid out plans as to which games needed three spinners and which games needed four fast bowlers. I was set to get my second game in Dharamshala against New Zealand but Hardik Pandya’s heartbreaking injury forced a change of plans. Hardik’s injury meant that we could only field five bowlers (three fast bowlers and two spinners or two fast bowlers and three spinners).”
The veteran admitted that it was heartbreaking to not win the title, but insisted that the players can be proud of the way they played, and can hold their heads high.
“It was a disappointing end as our dreams got shattered, but India had a rock solid run. We played outstanding cricket throughout the World Cup.”