On November 19, India incredible run in the ODI World Cup 2023 came to an end when they lost their opening match of the competition against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Former Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq delivered a devastating analysis of the match, accusing India of trying to use a “bad pitch” in an attempt to assist in winning the crucial match.
Abdul Razzaq said that Australia’s six-wicket victory against India in the world’s biggest cricket arena was a fantastic outcome for the game.
“India lost and cricket triumphed! It would have been a really tragic moment for the game if India had won the World Cup. I have never seen such a poor pitch for an ICC final, but they made the most of the circumstances. The fact that India lost is fantastic for cricket,” the 43-year-old remarked after reviewing the outcome.
‘Cricket won and India lost! Had India won the World Cup, it would have been very sad moment for the game. They used conditions to their advantage and I have never seen such a bad pitch for any ICC final before. It’s great for cricket that India lost’ – Abdul Razzaq #CWC23Final pic.twitter.com/f6GWRQferT
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) November 21, 2023
After losing the toss, India was ordered to bat first by Rohit Sharma. The Indian batsmen coughed and puffed their way to 240 on a surface that was somewhat dry. After losing three wickets in the opening PowerPlay, the Australians rallied behind an incredible 192-run stand between Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, pushing the “Men in Yellow” to the very end before Glenn Maxwell struck the game-winning run. After the game, Rohit stated that the ball came on wonderfully onto the bat in the second inning under the lights, but he refrained from offering any explanations for the defeat.
This week marks the start of a five-match Twenty20 International series between Australia and India. Suryakumar Yadav will captain the national team, and Matthew Wade will oversee the Australian team. Several players who competed for these two countries in the World Cup were rested for this series. Thursday, November 23rd, at Visakhapatnam is the inaugural Twenty20 international match.