Mohammed Siraj was left in tears as Jasprit Bumrah consoled him after Australia defeated India by six wickets in the World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad on November 19.
India’s poor performance in the finals of ICC events continued as Australia have defeated them thrice so far, with the 2003 summit clash being their first. The 2023 WTC Final was the second occasion after the defeat in Ahmedabad.
The Australian bowling attack, led by fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who took three important wickets, played a key role in weakening the Indian batting order.
The day began with Australian captain Pat Cummins winning the toss and electing to bowl first on a dry wicket. His counterpart Rohit Sharma expressed confidence in his team’s batting strength and expressed his intention to bat first without any worries.
Despite an aggressive start from Rohit Sharma, India suffered an early blow with Shubman Gill falling to Starc. The Indian innings saw some resistance with a half-century from Virat Kohli, but regular wickets disrupted their momentum, leaving Australia chasing the final score.
Chasing the target of 241 runs to win, Australia did not have a good start as Mohammed Shami dismissed David Warner in the second over and Jasprit Bumrah got the wickets of both Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith.
However, the partnership between Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne turned the game, with Head scoring a brilliant 137. Australia would win the match by six wickets.
When Siraj scored the winning runs in his over, he had tears in his eyes and Jasprit Bumrah and others came to console him.
Siraj did not have a good day with the ball as he conceded 45 runs in his seven overs and took only one wicket.