ICC World Cup 2023 Final: Did KL Rahul and Virat Kohli freeze or was the bowling too good?

[karthikc]

Kohli played a good knock — better than what he has done before in finals but still not enough to win. However, it wasn’t a match losing knock.

The biggest scam of this Indian side is SKY and Jaddu the batsman. In all my years of watching cricket, seldom have I seen such scammers who are touted as ATGs but never come good.

Then why was everyone blaming Manjrekar when he said Jaddu is a bits and pieces player

 

[ExpressPacer]

Then why was everyone blaming Manjrekar when he said Jaddu is a bits and pieces player

He may not be an absolutely useless player but he does not deserve to be batting at Number 6 in a WC final. That is waaaaaay above his pay scale.

I thought Indian preparation for this WC was immaculate and then you had Jaddu walking out at 4 down and I was like naaaahh, India is gonna lose this.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Hubris took over and they freeze

 

[Mamoon]

Give me one example of an innings of his ODI career that has been impactful enough with DECENT SR. He does well in low chase games.

India have an incredible batting talent depth, he should be kicked out soon by Pant and won't be missed.

I think the Asia Cup century against Pakistan was very impactful. So was 99 against Australia in the World Cup opener that was better than most hundreds scored in this World Cup.

The Asia Cup century was particularly enjoyable because it destroyed the soul of Pakistan cricket. It burst Pakistan’s bubble.

 

[shah_1]

I think the Asia Cup century against Pakistan was very impactful. So was 99 against Australia in the World Cup opener that was better than most hundreds scored in this World Cup.

The Asia Cup century was particularly enjoyable because it destroyed the soul of Pakistan cricket. It burst Pakistan’s bubble.

Pakistan has the worst spinning attack in the world, he stat padded in that innings whereas Kohli did all the hard work. Similar case against Australia and also a low total so he didn't have the pressure to score FAST. He has scored so many runs in IPL yet there is no impact from him in the best league in the world.

He doesn't deserve to play for a team that has the best batting talent depth in the world. He would be world class for Pakistan or New Zealand

 

[Mamoon]

Pakistan has the worst spinning attack in the world, he stat padded in that innings whereas Kohli did all the hard work. Similar case against Australia and also a low total so he didn't have the pressure to score FAST. He has scored so many runs in IPL yet there is no impact from him in the best league in the world.

He doesn't deserve to play for a team that has the best batting talent depth in the world. He would be world class for Pakistan or New Zealand

That is not accurate. India were 3 down for nothing against Australia and it was their first match. It was a high pressure innings and it set the tone for India’s tournament.

Please give credit where it is due instead of trying to downplay quality innings because you don’t like him.

Similarly, the century against Pakistan was a big one because he was making his way back and there was pressure on him to justify his selection over Kishan who scored an 80 odd against Pakistan in the previous encounter.

It also came after Pakistani media kept thumping their chests for one week and claimed that Indian batsmen cannot handle Pakistani bowlers. It was beautiful shut up call.

 

[shah_1]

That is not accurate. India were 3 down for nothing against Australia and it was their first match. It was a high pressure innings and it set the tone for India’s tournament.

Please give credit where it is due instead of trying to downplay quality innings because you don’t like him.

Similarly, the century against Pakistan was a big one because he was making his way back and there was pressure on him to justify his selection over Kishan who scored an 80 odd against Pakistan in the previous encounter.

It also came after Pakistani media kept thumping their chests for one week and claimed that Indian batsmen cannot handle Pakistani bowlers. It was beautiful shut up call.

Said it already he is a quality player when he is chasing low totals. He can play in the pressure situation where he doesn't have to score quick. He is prefect in that zone. He is a quality batsman but just not good enough for India that has ambitions to win ICC tournaments.

Pant was starting to unlock his ODI potential then car accident happened. He should be given his spot back, a proper match winner that should be invested for 2027 WC

 

[Mamoon]

Said it already he is a quality player when he is chasing low totals. He can play in the pressure situation where he doesn't have to score quick. He is prefect in that zone. He is a quality batsman but just not good enough for India that has ambitions to win ICC tournaments.

Pant was starting to unlock his ODI potential then car accident happened. He should be given his spot back, a proper match winner that should be invested for 2027 WC

Pant is the best WK talent to come out of Asia since Dhoni. I have been vouching for him since day 1, but there is room for both Pant and KL in the same XI in the future.

 

[Champ_Pal]

They played overcautiously. Once batsmen went into a shell, it was only a matter of time they will get a good ball which will take them out.

Gill's shot was not needed. India were going great at that time. All he had to do was support Rohit. Rohit was over aggressive. He just hit a 6 and a 4. He tried to repeat the same shot and it was not needed. Got out to Maxwell of all people.

Even at 80/2 in 10 overs, India were placed really well. Then Iyer got out cheaply and both Kohli and Rahul went into a shell.

The problem arises for India due to the lack of batting depth. They knew that they had to stay at the crease until about 35th over. In the process they played too many dot balls. Especially Rahul who went into Test match mode.

I have posted this opinion of mine before, but here it is again. No team exploited India's weakness for 9 consecutive matches. That is lack of batting after the first 5 wickets are down. You cannot win big tournaments with only 5 batsmen. One bad day for the top order will expose the soft underbelly of Indian lineup. Australia did just that and India had no response once both Rohit and Kohli are out before 30th over.

I hope selectors realize this at least now. Find some talented all rounders and give them a long rope. Let them perform to their abilities. India's lack of quality all rounders have been hurting them since 2015 WC. We only have Pandya and he cannot stay fit for more than 2 months.

 

[KingKhanWC]

KL Rahul is a great player and it is absurd to pin the blame on him. He is always the easy target.

He gets into every ODI team in the world.

It seems like you were watching the IPL from 2020 ......on repeat

A shameful innings by Rahul and Kohli. They both knew 300 was a minimum but battled like Geoffrey Boycott at 80 years old and then getting out.

The worst partnership you will ever see in a final. Kohli was obviously being selfish thinking of another century, while Rahul simply didnt have the skill to speed up.

Kohli not scoring a ton in a knockout game (if true) shows a lot.

Mental midgets, bottled like Arteta did last season.

 

[KingKhanWC]

They played overcautiously. Once batsmen went into a shell, it was only a matter of time they will get a good ball which will take them out.

Gill's shot was not needed. India were going great at that time. All he had to do was support Rohit. Rohit was over aggressive. He just hit a 6 and a 4. He tried to repeat the same shot and it was not needed. Got out to Maxwell of all people.

Even at 80/2 in 10 overs, India were placed really well. Then Iyer got out cheaply and both Kohli and Rahul went into a shell.

The problem arises for India due to the lack of batting depth. They knew that they had to stay at the crease until about 35th over. In the process they played too many dot balls. Especially Rahul who went into Test match mode.

I have posted this opinion of mine before, but here it is again. No team exploited India's weakness for 9 consecutive matches. That is lack of batting after the first 5 wickets are down. You cannot win big tournaments with only 5 batsmen. One bad day for the top order will expose the soft underbelly of Indian lineup. Australia did just that and India had no response once both Rohit and Kohli are out before 30th over.

I hope selectors realize this at least now. Find some talented all rounders and give them a long rope. Let them perform to their abilities. India's lack of quality all rounders have been hurting them since 2015 WC. We only have Pandya and he cannot stay fit for more than 2 months.

They also knew 300 was a minimum.

Travis Head was at the crease with 3 down for less than 50 runs but played with intent and aggression . It won Aus the match.

Both of these lost their heads, bottled it bigtime.

An Indian fan told me Kohli didnt want Sharma to lift the World Cup and take all the glory.

 

[Kianig89]

Yes bizarre innings it really was by KL, and the most frustrating part is he looked content in playing that way never it felt that as if he is trying to gear up and finally the legend of legends Mitchell Starc put him out of misery

 

[sweep_shot]

Aussie bowling attack was right on the money. Their fielders were brilliant also.

When Aussies want to win, India generally can't do much. India generally only win soft games (non-knockout games) against the Aussies.

Also, it seemed like Kohli and Rahul were a bit nervous.

 

[Mamoon]

It seems like you were watching the IPL from 2020 ......on repeat

A shameful innings by Rahul and Kohli. They both knew 300 was a minimum but battled like Geoffrey Boycott at 80 years old and then getting out.

The worst partnership you will ever see in a final. Kohli was obviously being selfish thinking of another century, while Rahul simply didnt have the skill to speed up.

Kohli not scoring a ton in a knockout game (if true) shows a lot.

Mental midgets, bottled like Arteta did last season.

In case you didn't know, Kohli scored a ton in the semifinal which is also a knockout game.

Kohli played very well in the final. A SR of 85-90 and he was keeping things ticking as he always does. He was laying the platform for India to bat Australia out of the game.

He cannot score a century every day, he was still on course but had an unlucky inside edge. Rahul played a poor innings for sure, killed the momentum.

When Kohli departed, Rahul, SKY and Jadeja could still have helped India to 270-280 which would have been close to a match-winning total.

You can call Kohli a "mental midget" out of frustration, but the reality is that he is a better batsman than anyone in Pakistan history. I am sure that stings, but it is what it is.

 

[KingKhanWC]

In case you didn't know, Kohli scored a ton in the semifinal which is also a knockout game.

Kohli played very well in the final. A SR of 85-90 and he was keeping things ticking as he always does. He was laying the platform for India to bat Australia out of the game.

He cannot score a century every day, he was still on course but had an unlucky inside edge. Rahul played a poor innings for sure, killed the momentum.

When Kohli departed, Rahul, SKY and Jadeja could still have helped India to 270-280 which would have been close to a match-winning total.

You can call Kohli a "mental midget" out of frustration, but the reality is that he is a better batsman than anyone in Pakistan history. I am sure that stings, but it is what it is.

Reason why I wrote if true as I didnt watch any of the semis, just checked the result.

When you need a min of 300 to score at 85sr and play so many dot balls is very poor esp from someone who has so much experience. Jadeja is a bits & pieces player, an allround more of a bowler. You cant expect him and others to take the score near 300.

Kohli has been brilliant until the final, you have to praise and criticise when required. He was wanting another ton, selfishness cost his team the glory, bigger than all the 50 tons he's scored.

 

[Technics 1210]

So to sum up, Kohli and KL Rahul were playing 90s cricket in a 2023 WC final.

 

[KingKhanWC]

So to sum up, Kohli and KL Rahul were playing 90s cricket in a 2023 WC final.

They dreamt of Imran Khan and Javed Miandad innings in the 92 final.

 

[Energy]

India were 80 after 10 overs on a slow wicket thanks to Rohit who was the real deal.

To then score 160 off the next 40 overs is abysmal and choke-worthy. It was timid to say the least.

 

[PakEngFan]

So to sum up, Kohli and KL Rahul were playing 90s cricket in a 2023 WC final.

So to sum up, Kohli and KL Rahul were playing 90s cricket in a 2023 WC final.

They batted quicker then these 2 chokers in the 90s. I mean 1 boundary in 107 balls even a club level player should manage that if they played as much balls as Rahul did.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Shoaib Akhtar speaking on his YT Channel:

“India did not reach the final by luck. They made it to the final by playing brilliantly. However, I was quite disappointed with the pitch used for the game. I wish India prepared a better pitch and not gone with a timid approach. Had there been more bounce and pace, the toss would not have played such a big role,”

“I want to congratulate India for playing in the World Cup final. It is not an easy feat to achieve. They reached here by decimating other teams. Unfortunately, they always fall short in such matches. In the last 12 years or so, we have seen that they come very close to winning the trophy but somehow fail to do so. Luck has not favoured Team India.”

 

[KingKhanWC]

Shoaib Akhtar speaking on his YT Channel:

“India did not reach the final by luck. They made it to the final by playing brilliantly. However, I was quite disappointed with the pitch used for the game. I wish India prepared a better pitch and not gone with a timid approach. Had there been more bounce and pace, the toss would not have played such a big role,”

“I want to congratulate India for playing in the World Cup final. It is not an easy feat to achieve. They reached here by decimating other teams. Unfortunately, they always fall short in such matches. In the last 12 years or so, we have seen that they come very close to winning the trophy but somehow fail to do so. Luck has not favoured Team India.”

Assume this is for more views on his Youtube channel, most of his viewers are Indians.

Luck had nothing to do with it. The pitch was par 300, they were 60 short due to pathetic tuk tuk batting for 40 overs.

 

[PakEngFan]

Shoaib Akhtar speaking on his YT Channel:

“India did not reach the final by luck. They made it to the final by playing brilliantly. However, I was quite disappointed with the pitch used for the game. I wish India prepared a better pitch and not gone with a timid approach. Had there been more bounce and pace, the toss would not have played such a big role,”

“I want to congratulate India for playing in the World Cup final. It is not an easy feat to achieve. They reached here by decimating other teams. Unfortunately, they always fall short in such matches. In the last 12 years or so, we have seen that they come very close to winning the trophy but somehow fail to do so. Luck has not favoured Team India.”

And people want this sell out to be part of our set up.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Shoaib Akhtar speaking on his YT Channel:

“India did not reach the final by luck. They made it to the final by playing brilliantly. However, I was quite disappointed with the pitch used for the game. I wish India prepared a better pitch and not gone with a timid approach. Had there been more bounce and pace, the toss would not have played such a big role,”

However, this pitch was better suited for the Indian team because they love to play on slow surfaces and this surface was better for their spinners too.

 

[MMHS]

Don’t think there was anything wrong in VK-KL’s approach - they were playing exactly what was required once team had a head start. I think, they lost couple of (three actually) key wickets at wrong time, which cost them the game.

It was a doctored wicket to maximise Indian advantage but India made two tactical blunders even before the toss - first they should have picked Ashwin over Siraj, who is not suited for that track, and considering one lefti scoring like 65% of runs from bat, it was even more evident. Second one was, they never thought Aussies would bowl first. Looking at the wicket, neither me & hearing from Manjrekar, don’t think anyone in Indian think tank did either - they planned their every plot on chasing. In fact, Aussies came with a mindset to bowl first out of norm & they executed their plan perfectly.

Now, on such wickets, before dew comes, best time to score is in 1st PP - Sharma started that but undone by an outstanding catch (any other team might have dropped that and RS would have gone to a match winning 100). What cost India here was that - Sharma was aggressor and risking out any time, Gill was supposed to play for a hundred on that wicket which would get slow & low with time. Gill got out early, means Kohli had to play his role, then Sharma got out, which can happen actually- he served his purpose.

The second blow was Iyer - 80/2 inside PP on that track was damn good start, another 100 runs without or at most 1 wicket in even triple time means like 180/3 inside 35 overs - you can expect 300 from there after. Suddenly, Iyer got out and India was almost to last batting pair - remember they we’re playing four no. 10s + Jadeja.

The final nail was Kohli - IICRC, India was 147/3 after 28 overs and Kohli 50+. Business usual, he would have batted till end from one end and, KL, SKY, RJ, Shami, Bumrah going after the ball. Once a set batsman is at other end even Shami, Bumrah & Kuldeep could have connected few and the target would have been at least 50 more, if not 320 - those 50 runs would have been game changer even at 0/0, not to mention 47/3. It allowed Labus to play like saving a Test….

Sharma’s initial onslaught gave Kohli & KL about 20 overs buffer (even at 3.5/over means 160/3 after 30) and they were exactly on that path before a very untimely & uncharacteristic dismissal of Kohli. Head was deserving MoM, but had he not scored the hundred, my MoM would have been Cummins - bowled brilliantly to tie down the 8+/over start, then knocked two body blows.

In finals, you can’t maintain 7/8 per over all through - that happens in fantasy cricket. But, India did reach at 10+ for 8/9 overs, therefore I don’t think Kohli/KL’s approach was wrong - had they over stretched, could have been 140/5 in 20 and all out inside 40 overs.

 

[mikeypbadana86]

Hypocrisy. Babar would have been crucified if he scored a soft impactless 50 and then got out.

Kohli needed to take the game on and accelerate especially knowing full well that Rohit, Iyer and Gill failed today and that Surya, Jadeja could not be relied on. He was unnecessarily timid and posed no threat to Australia.

He definitely choked today. Had this not been a final and a regular game, he would have batted with a different approach

you are wrong. all through out the World Cup, he batted with an approach of strike rate of 100. Why blame kohli? when team lost 2 back to back wickets, he did more than decent scoring 54 off 63. KL Rahul scored 66 off 107 balls. Imagine his strike rate near 85-90 which would have meant 90 off 107 balls. An additional 25 to the total.

Biggest disappointment gill, Jadeja and surya Kumar Yadav,

 

[BouncerGuy]

Kohli was playing fine and he got unlucky to get out chopped on, on the other hand, Kl rahul is the main culprit here. He sucked all the momentum that Rohit and Kohli had built and they ended up on a mediocre total because of selfish and sluggish innings of Rahul.

 

[Ahmed216]

KL is a nothing player who's never won anything substantial for his side. He's a proof that Indian batting prowess has declined since the days of Sachin Sehwag etc.
However I don't think any of their players have it in them to not choke at the biggest stage except Ashwin may be. That guy truly has a champion mentality

 

[MP2011]

Then why was everyone blaming Manjrekar when he said Jaddu is a bits and pieces player

Jadeja's only utility as a LoI cricketer is to bowl wicket to wicket and bowl very quick overs and save us censure in case we take forever to complete our overs.

He isn't good enough to bat higher than number 8 (at his best). Its been happening during last decade or so and we've been paying the penalty for countless ICC trophies.

 

[MP2011]

KL is a nothing player who's never won anything substantial for his side. He's a proof that Indian batting prowess has declined since the days of Sachin Sehwag etc.
However I don't think any of their players have it in them to not choke at the biggest stage except Ashwin may be. That guy truly has a champion mentality

lol, and we played him in just 1 WC game and that too at home. Hell, even a loser like Thakur was preferred over him who can't be entrusted to handle either bowling or batting.

Yes, we were winning and that's what matters. But in the finals, he'd have been a far better pick than say Siraj.

 

[MP2011]

Tim Paine put it best: “I know he’s your captain but you can’t seriously like him as a bloke.”

lol, couldn't be more ironic coming from Paine himself!

 

[MP2011]

Yes KL played a terrible innings but looking at the batting to come he pretty much din't have any choice.
At 81-3 India was just playing to be in the game. Pretty sure their first thought was to not collapse to a 150 all out which would have buried the game then and there.

Rahul did have a choice which was to take at least singles and doubles and hit occasional 4s which Kohli was doing at the other end until the latter part of his innings. Had said this many a times during the match thread, that is take singles and doubles for heaven's sake.

Was that too much to ask from a man in a WC final in front of home fans who has been playing international cricket for so long?

 

[MP2011]

Yes bizarre innings it really was by KL, and the most frustrating part is he looked content in playing that way never it felt that as if he is trying to gear up and finally the legend of legends Mitchell Starc put him out of misery

Yeah, he didn't even attempt to play an attacking shot for at least 99% of the time he was at the crease.

 

[Caved12]

Bowling was great, but not sure what Rahul was doing. I think Rahul was playing for Australia and made sure that India had a zero chance to win the game after his test match kind of innings.

 

[MP2011]

Bowling was great, but not sure what Rahul was doing. I think Rahul was playing for Australia and made sure that India had a zero chance to win the game after his test match kind of innings.

Even tests see better strike rates especially under these T20 times we are living in.

 

[shehz]

here is my two cents.
After losing 2 (or 3) wickets in the first 15 overs, India (with Kohli and Rahul) lost the game script, struggled to decide whether to target 250 or go for a 300-plus score, similar to Pakistan's situation against India. The biggest letdown was SKY, who missed a great chance to boost India's score against Australia. His poor and predictable shots stood out. Even after Kohli, India had several chances to speed up, highlighting the missed impact of Pandya's contributions. Perhaps, the team's lack of exposure to enough adversity or pressure throughout the World Cup backfired miserably in a crucial knockout game. On the other side, Aussies were getting stronger after each game with all challenges that were presented to them. They were ready for ANY situation and they delivered

 

[Abhilash93]

Pressure of the final was just one of the factors. Others things weighing them down would be:

1. Slowness and up/down nature of the pitch in that innings.They probably recalibrated the target score from 320-350 to 260-280 based on that.

2. Lack of batting depth with Shami coming at no.8 and SKY having hardly batted in the tournament.

 

[BouncerGuy]

KL Rahul's knock is one of the main reasons India ended up with a low score against Australia in the final.

--------------------------------------------------------

Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq about KL Rahul’s knock in the ICC World Cup Final:

Shoaib Malik:

"KL Rahul was just trying to bat through the 50 overs. He should not have done that and should have tried to play his game. If you're batting in tough conditions and the boundaries aren't coming easily, then at least you've got to rotate strike. That wasn't happening, there were a lot of dot balls,"

“He has been taking a lot of responsibility when India lose quick wickets up front. If you will see his today's innings 66 off 107 balls, it was not a KL Rahul innings. He went into a zone, where he only wanted to play the whole fifty overs. He should have been a little more proactive,”

"The venue in which this match was played had long side boundaries. The Australian utilised these boundaries very well. They said we won't let you hit us down the ground and you can hit us square of the wicket. Their bowlers used variations very well. The Australians assessed the Indian conditions better than the Indians and then executed their plans,"

Misbah-ul-Haq:

"KL Plays spin very well and we have seen it throughout the tournament. He plays well square of the wicket, front of the wicket, uses his feet really well. But today his approach was that he was waiting. He maybe was not trusting the other batters. He was thinking about getting team to 250 and it got difficult,"​

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

Rahul played the worst innings in the history of the wc. Completely sucked the life out of the batting. Wouldn't really blame kohli, he played decently.
Rahul was the let down, had an absolutely terrible performance

You obviously didn't watch Misbah play in the 2011 semi-final against India.

 

[MANU ROY]

Rahul not Freezed he choked by the way Pakpassion should add k l Rahul emoji

 

[Statpadder Inc]

You obviously didn't watch Misbah play in the 2011 semi-final against India.

I did but this was even worse. Completely sucked the momentum out of the innings and scored only boundry in 106 balls. Lost the match for India and poured water on the great start that rohit gave us

 

[Kianig89]

The weight of pressure bogged down Kohli and KL, plus Australian quicks were at their full throttle gave India no reprieve add to it the long tail India had which was never pushed in the while tourney got exposed brutally.

The biggest blunder was made by Mr. JAY SHAH first holding final at big stadium like Ahmedabad and then a low tricky pitch minimised India advantage

 

[Champ_Pal]

Yes bizarre innings it really was by KL, and the most frustrating part is he looked content in playing that way never it felt that as if he is trying to gear up and finally the legend of legends Mitchell Starc put him out of misery

I feel that KL and Kohli thought that it was a tough pitch and 275 will be a very good total to defend. KL was happy to defend and defend knowing that the RR was still around 4.5. But his plans failed when he finally got out with almost 15 overs to spare.
I cannot really blame him as the batting after him is pretty thin to non-existent. Blame should go to lack of all rounders.

India stuck to a formula which won them 9 straight dominant wins. But it took one bad day for top order to expose the weakness. Teams with no proper balance rarely win it all. Even in 2011 when India won the WC, India had Yuvi and Raina who were bowling 15 overs between them every match while making the batting lineup strong. 2023 team has too many one trick ponies.

 

[Kianig89]

I feel that KL and Kohli thought that it was a tough pitch and 275 will be a very good total to defend. KL was happy to defend and defend knowing that the RR was still around 4.5. But his plans failed when he finally got out with almost 15 overs to spare.
I cannot really blame him as the batting after him is pretty thin to non-existent. Blame should go to lack of all rounders.

India stuck to a formula which won them 9 straight dominant wins. But it took one bad day for top order to expose the weakness. Teams with no proper balance rarely win it all. Even in 2011 when India won the WC, India had Yuvi and Raina who were bowling 15 overs between them every match while making the batting lineup strong. 2023 team has too many one trick ponies.

But the irony is one of the Indians pundit realised that this might happen in all group games of India Manjrekar, Bhogle Kaif Gavaskar were just lauding India.

Have watched the final on extended highlights twice and I felt that Kohli & KL tried or got tempted to attack Australian bowlers but pitch perfect bowling from the Aussie quicks just tied them down

 

[Thanos]

Gill, KL and SKY are match ka mujrim for me.
Always knew KL doesn't have mental strength to play under pressure, Sky wasn't a good choice for ODI in first place. Gill just threw his wicket. I had bigger hopes from Gill.

Kohli was just unlucky to get out in that fashion. Can't expect one man to score century in every game.

 

[MP2011]

Gill, KL and SKY are match ka mujrim for me.
Always knew KL doesn't have mental strength to play under pressure, Sky wasn't a good choice for ODI in first place. Gill just threw his wicket. I had bigger hopes from Gill.

Kohli was just unlucky to get out in that fashion. Can't expect one man to score century in every game.

Surely, Sky should never plan an ODI henceforth.

As for Gill, hugely disappointing WC.

 

[Mainul]

Said in the match thread. KL did a Yuvi 2014 T20 world cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Seriously people if anyone who defend KL innings must be mad. He sucked the life out of the innings, he put pressure on Kohli who was batting almost run a ball one point, KL’s ultra tentativeness just frozen the innings and it just wasnt going anywhere even great man-like Sunny G got fed up and spoke about how they need to least get 5runs in singles!!!

One boundary in 28overs from a powerful batting team, with two well established international players. Jees! I’ve seen it all now in cricket.

Yes, KL should take the blame. And also Indian team management. It was not KK's decision only to be defensive. KL can hit boundaries, we have seen that often.

Another thing is that , Jadeja and Suriyakumar wasn't tested in this whole tournament. They seemed out of touch and this was the game in which they badly needed to step up which they miserably failed to do with bat.

 

[FearlessRoar]

KL Rahul didn't play with a "do-or-die" mindset as he didn't want to expose India's tail-enders, which is probably one of the biggest reasons for host country's World Cup final defeat, feels Pakistan legend Wasim Akram. Batting first, India posted a modest total of 240 in 50 overs and Rahul scored a painstaking 66 off 107 balls with a solitary boundary to his credit. "If I have to pick any particular reason, I suppose the middle order should have played with a ‘do or die' mindset," he told Star Sports.

"I can understand what was going through Rahul's mind, that there was no batting to come after Jadeja and that he had to bat deep, and batting deep meant he couldn't take risks of getting out," Akram added.

Final was one game possibly when team missed all-rounder Hardik Pandya more than ever as he lends that balance in the middle-order with his power-hitting.

"If possibly Hardik was in the team, he (Rahul) probably would take that risk. But, if he had taken a risk and gotten out in this situation, then people would have criticised him for that as well," the ‘Sultan of Swing' explained.

Not scoring quickly enough between overs 20 to 40, certainly became India's undoing.

"If they had kept pace and scored quickly in the middle overs, then it would have been a different ball game.” For the 'Men in Blue', Rohit finished the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer after Virat Kohli, thanks to his attacking intent.

Meanwhile, Akram felt that captain Rohit Sharma was right in moving ahead with his attacking approach in the final, as it is what had given him success throughout the tournament.

"He's played like that in the entire World Cup, that's his game. Nobody complained throughout the World Cup with the starts he's giving, or that he was constantly getting out in the 40s, and now that he's done the same in the finals, people are finding a reason to complain." "And, he's also one of the best players of spin in the world, though he got out to Maxwell in that game, and credit to Maxwell and Cummins. But, that's the nature of Rohit's game, and I don't think he should change it," he added.

While defending the total, the Indians could manage to hold only four Australian wickets, with the pacers being the most effective ones on the Motera track.

On the same note, Akram feels bringing in Siraj ahead of Shami could have worked better, given his ability to bowl economical spells.

"I found Siraj to be bowling really well throughout the World Cup, though his wickets column may not suggest that. But, the breakthroughs he gave in Asia Cup and his recent performances have established him as the future of Indian cricket," he continued.

Like many others, Akram also didn't endorse Rohit introducing Shami with new ball after the bowler got such success as one change throughout the tournament.

"In this match, they straight away brought in Shami, and he did have impact on the game right away by getting Warner out, though it was more like Warner got himself out by slashing at a wide ball." "Another factor is that after losing the three wickets within the first 15 overs, the dew set in, which made it easier for batting as the ball wasn't doing much after that." Akram maintained that he didn't want to take any credit away from centurion Travis Head or Marnus Labuschagne.

"I'm not taking credit away from Australia's batting, but it does psychologically affect the bowlers. I think in big games like the finals, teams should always stick to what they have been doing and what's been working for them," he concluded.

Source: NDTV

 

[FearlessRoar]

It's not KL Rahul's fault. The Aussie bowling lineup was too tough for him that day.

 

[rhony]

I actually watched the replay a bit in the middle overs. Pitch was slow yes and aussie bowling was top class. Especially Cummins. Considering the circumstances and the role, Kohli's innings was master class. Can't find fault with him. Even his dismissal. He was in control until then.

Can't say the same about Rahul. He usually eats about 20 balls but then comes into his groove. Here, he just got stuck. Ultra defensive with the sole goal of saving his wicket. To me, Iyer's wicket was more crucial. He can play on slow pitches and is more aggressive then Kohli and Rahul. Indian team and especially Rahul will look back at those 20 overs that Rahul ate. That was the match. Head surviving first 10 overs is another. He looked like an absolute villager for 10 overs. Not snagging him then meant India had no chance

 

[deltexas]

It's not KL Rahul's fault. The Aussie bowling lineup was too tough for him that day.

Iyers wicket was a bigger dent. If iyer had made 30 or 40 inf would have made 300 plus. He got a really good delivery.
KL Rahul totally at fault here. Tuk tuk to nowhere. At least rotate the strike. The aus bowlers were nowhere near unplayable. He just went into a shell and pit put pressure on kohli who was at a sr of 90 or so. KL Rahul lost so many IPL matches due to tuk tuk and absolutely crumbles under any pressure. He got out to a tentative nervous poke even after playing 100 balls and not to an unplayable one. Mental midget of the highest order who should not be allowed anywhere near the ind team again.

 

[pillionrider]

It might not have been the greatest performance of the tournament, but after years of (deservingly) being trolled as a mental midget, some appreciation is due for KL Rahul for seeing India home in two games.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Actually In 2023 India was in red hot form. In no other tournament INdia was this dominant. They lost the all important toss. They failed to win. But they won in 2024, 2025. One thing is for sure toss did not matter in 2024 and 2025.