After a dominating sequence of 10 straight victories leading up to the highly anticipated final, India’s dream run was ultimately halted by a well-prepared Australian side, who walked away with their remarkable sixth men’s World Cup title. The contest unfurled on the slow-paced pitch of Ahmedabad where Australia’s finely tuned bowling attack constricted India to a modest total of 240 runs. But it was Travis Head’s show-stopping innings of 137 runs from 120 balls that became the standout performance, as Australia wrapped up the chase with a six-wicket win.
Head’s pivotal contributions in both the semifinal and final of the tournament have seen him carve his name into the annals of cricket history, positioning himself alongside cricket greats such as Mohinder Amarnath, Aravinda de Silva, and Shane Warne—all of whom have clinched Player of the Match awards in crucial knockout games.
The initial phase of Australia’s pursuit was marred by a slight wobble when they found themselves at 47 for 3, despite maintaining a healthy scoring rate. Mohammed Shami, wielding the new ball for the first time in the World Cup, made an immediate impact by capturing the wicket of David Warner. Jasprit Bumrah, after an expensive first over, rallied to claim the scalps of both Mitchell Marsh and Steven Smith, leaving Australia momentarily on the back foot.
However, the duo of Head and Marnus Labuschagne defied the early setbacks, steady in their 192-run partnership and leveraging a blend of defensive and offensive tactics to steadily shift the momentum. On a pitch offering limited assistance to spinners, neither Kuldeep Yadav nor Ravindra Jadeja could claim a breakthrough, marking the only instance in this World Cup where India’s spin contingent failed to secure a wicket.
As the match continued, the pair adeptly navigated the conditions and found the boundary precisely when India sought to reclaim control of the game. The substantial fourth-wicket partnership deconstructed India’s challenge with surgical precision, until Head’s departure, at which point Australia needed a mere two runs to seize victory. These were subsequently provided by Glenn Maxwell, who completed the task commenced by his captain’s endeavors with the ball.
Rewinding to the day’s outset, Australia had leveraged astute bowling to harness the conditions and stymie India, restricting them to a middling score after electing to field. With a jam-packed stadium of over 100,000 spectators looking on, Pat Cummins’ gamble to bowl first appeared questionable as Rohit Sharma spearheaded the Indian batting line-up with an array of boundaries that characterized his storied career.
Sharma, alongside Virat Kohli, threatened to tilt the match in India’s favor, dispersing boundaries across the ground. However, the tide turned with Sharma’s dismissal to a catch off Glenn Maxwell, followed swiftly by Shreyas Iyer’s nick behind, plunging India into a patch concentrated on consolidation led by Kohli and KL Rahul.
Both batsmen exhibited grit, but Australia’s relentlessness with the ball remained conspicuous, with Cummins exemplifying frugality in his spell—without surrendering a single boundary. Hopes momentarily rose as Kohli notched up his ninth fifty of the tournament, only to be quashed as he too fell victim to the Australian’s crafty bowling. Kohli’s tournament-haul of 765 runs suddenly became a footnote as Australia tightened their grip on the game.
Despite a strategic reshuffling in the batting order with an elevated Jadeja and Rahul’s fifty, India could not unsettle Australia’s disciplined attack. Introducing reverse swing into the equation, Hazlewood and Starc compounded India’s difficulties, culminating in their final tally of 240.
Suryakumar Yadav’s late endeavors were unsuccessful, as Australia’s bowling unit, having laid the foundation earlier, efficiently cleaned up the tail, setting the stage for Head’s magnificent conquest. In the final act, India was dismantled with Australia reaching their 241-run target for the loss of just four wickets in 43 overs.
Brief Scores: India 240 all out (KL Rahul 66, Virat Kohli 54; Mitchell Starc 3-55, Pat Cummins 2-34) lost to Australia 241/4 in 43 overs (Travis Head 137, Marnus Labuschagne 58*) by 6 wickets.