Australia wins the Men’s Cricket World Cup for the record sixth time, defeating India in a thrilling final
The sixth-ever Cricket World Cup was won by Australia, although host India faltered under pressure from the whole country. In front of hostile home fans and difficult playing conditions, Australia defeated India by six wickets on Sunday to win the men’s cricket World Cup for the record sixth time in Ahmedabad.
India increased cricket fever and anticipation after waiting 12 years for another one-day international trophy, even as the country continued to dominate the competition with 10 straight victories. However, India felt just a little bit short of living up to the nation’s expectations.
Nevertheless, Australia’s astute bowling proved too much for their seemingly unbeatable batting lineup, as Travis Head’s outstanding 137 runs off 120 balls sealed victory and moved Australia one step closer to winning another World Cup.
The previous three World Cups had been won by the host country. There were high hopes because India was ranked first in the world, especially in the 132,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium.
India got off to a fast start, matching the record for the most runs scored in a men’s World Cup final during the powerplay, thanks to a huge six over the stadium stands from Captain Rohit Sharma’s symbolic and verbal fireworks.
But not long after, Pat Cummins’ delivery was brilliantly caught by Glenn Maxwell, and Rohit was out. The Indian audience was taken aback when Shreyas Iyer did the same, and the game was rearranged.
As pressure mounted, the run rate dropped, and Virat Kohli and KL Rahul tried conservatively to save India’s innings. But just when it looked like the strain was lessening, Rahul blasted his maiden boundary in the 16th over before being removed at 54 runs, smacked by Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins on the stumps following a delivery delivered by Mitchell Starc.
India’s batters were hindered by Cummins’s steady rotation of bowlers, and with the removal of Kohli, there was no meaningful partnership to contribute to a large total.
With a remarkable effort of 66 runs off 107 balls, Rahul led India to a decent total. The lower-order batsmen also contributed some significant runs. But protecting it always felt difficult.
Australia gained the upper hand, and their batting showed it right away. Head and David Warner shared a 15-run partnership in the opening over, but in the second over, Warner was dismissed by Mohammed Shami, which somewhat dashed India’s hopes.
India was soon back in the game when Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh left shortly after, leaving Australia at 47-3. The crowd was enthused with every game and miss, calling for India to grab another wicket and make the most of the circumstances.
But an amazing partnership between Marcus Stoinis (who made 58 runs) and the superb Head (who was chosen player of the match) turned the tide against India.
Maxwell entered the game to secure the winning runs after Head fell two runs short of victory, setting off wild jubilation among the Australians.
