Ahmedabad pitch ‘backfired’ on India: Fans, cricket legends comment on how ‘sub-continental conditions’ helped Australia

Australia clinched a resounding victory over India in the ICC World Cup 2023 final on November 19 in Ahmedabad. The Australians, under Pat Cummins' strategic leadership, outplayed India with a 6-wicket win, wrapping up the game with 42 balls to spare.

The highly anticipated match was played on the same pitch where India had previously defeated Pakistan. This time, however, it turned unexpectedly in Australia's favour. In a decisive move, Cummins opted to bowl first after winning the toss, a decision that played a crucial role in shaping the game's outcome.

Also Read: 10 reasons why India lost World Cup 2023 final against Australia

Travis Head emerged as a key figure for Australia, steering his team towards victory with a stellar performance. The Australian strategy effectively neutralised India's home advantage, with the pitch conditions unexpectedly favouring the visitors.

Ricky Ponting observed that the pitch preparation, initially thought to favour India, ultimately proved advantageous for Australia. This sentiment was echoed by former England captain Michael Vaughan, who praised Australia's tactical acumen in mastering the challenging conditions.

“It was very, very sub-continental conditions today. A wicket preparation that has probably ended up backfiring on India to be totally fair,” Fox News quoted Ponting as saying.

“They’ve clearly got a very clever think tank. I don’t think they are a 320 side, they are a 280 side and preparing a pitch like this gave Australia a chance,” said Vaughan. “They did exactly what Pat Cummins said they would, they’ve silenced the crowd. They’ve done it in great fashion. I don’t know anyone who thought the game would be done in 43 overs with Australia coasting to the target.”

Rohit Sharma displayed sportsmanship in acknowledging his team's shortcomings while also noting some elements of misfortune. The Indian captain, however, refrained from citing the pitch conditions as an excuse for the defeat, underlining the team's overall performance issues in the cricket match.

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“We knew under the lights it would be slightly better. I don’t want to give that as an excuse, we didn’t bat well enough to put enough runs on the board,” he said.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain said on Sky Sports, “India are still a great side - but the pitch brought Australia into it.”

Social media backlash

Meanwhile, many Indian supporters took to social media and slammed the Ahmedabad pitch.