After the loss to New Zealand in the last match WTC Final In the 2019-21 cycle, India fell short in the final showdown once again, giving Australia a chance to add another trophy to their illustrious collection.
India’s downfall began when they allowed Australia to post a mammoth 469 in the first innings, which proved to be a formidable challenge to the match. Eventually, India were bundled out for a mere 234 runs.
The turning point in the match came when steve smith Got out by taking a brilliant catch in the slips Virat Kohli 49 off Scott Boland. This crucial moment essentially sealed India’s fate as they resumed their chase on the final day.
India needed another 280 runs to win, but could only add 70 runs in a slightly extended morning session due to a riot by the Australian bowlers.
Rohit said during the match, “It was tough. We started well, won the toss and put them out to bat in those conditions. We bowled very well in the first session and then let ourselves down a bit with the way we bowled.” ” Presentation ceremony after the match.
“But again, credit to the Australian batsmen, in particular, Travis Head came on and played really well. It caught us off guard a bit and then we knew it’s always tough to come back. We (did) a show .
The Indian captain said, “We fought hard, but congratulations Australia. We talked about many things. We talked about bowling tough. But it didn’t work out. Such things can happen.”
Rohit was disappointed to have finished second so many times in the WTC finals but hoped for better returns in future.
“We’ve worked hard for four years to make it to two finals. It’s disappointing for us. We want to do one better. But you can’t take anything less than what we’ve done in two years. It’s a great Effort.”
“Many players took part in that series. We will keep our heads high and fight for the next championship as well,” he added.
Rohit praised the couple Ajinkya Rahane (89 and 46) and Shardul Thakur, who led India’s recovery from 151 for six in reply to Australia’s first innings total of 469, adding 109 for the seventh wicket in the second innings.
“I thought it was a great comeback from Rahane and Shardul when we were 150 for 5. They stood up and built a good partnership and kept us in the game,” he said.
Rohit said the pitch played well here at The Oval despite being plagued by body injuries to several batsmen and varying bounce.
The Indian captain said, “We bowled very well in the second innings. Again we didn’t exert ourselves with the bat. It was a good pitch to bat on. The pitch behaved very well for the whole five days and we didn’t take advantage of it. ” ,
(With PTI inputs)