WC final | Why did Australia bowl first? Ashwin reveals their astute gameplan

For the first time since winning the World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad, the major reason behind Australia opting to bowl first against India in the final has been revealed.

Pat Cummins’ decision to send India to bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday (November 19) surprised one and all. He called right and preferred to chase in the World Cup 2023 final.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said he would have batted first if he had won the toss. So, both captains got what they wanted at the toss.

On a slow pitch, India were restricted to 240 all out in 50 overs. In reply, Australia won by six wickets with opener Travis Head scoring a magnificent 137.

While Indian fans, players and the country’s former cricketers are still recovering from that heartbreaking final loss after the ‘Men in Blue’ had a 10-match win streak, Ravichandran Ashwin has brilliantly analysed why Australia won the final.

Ashwin has also disclosed the conversation he had with Australia’s chief selector George Bailey during the innings break during the World Cup 2023 final.

“Let me make it clear, Australia did not win because of destiny or luck. They were tactically outstanding in the final,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel on Thursday (November 23).

“Australia deceived me. I thought Australia would bat first if they win the toss because, historically, it’s an Aussie thing to ‘win the toss and bat’. The wicket used for the final was not Ahmedabad soil, it was rather from Odisha. It was the kind of wicket that would not disintegrate too much,” Ashwin, who played in only one match in World Cup 2023, added.

On what Bailey told him about batting second, Ashwin revealed, “I was looking at the pitch during the mid-innings and that’s when I bumped into George Bailey, Australia’s chairman of selectors. I asked him why didn't you guys bat first like you always do – he answered back, we have played IPL and bilateral series here a lot – red soil disintegrates but not black soil and it gets better under lights – no impact on dew on red soil but black soil has good turn in the afternoon and then it will be like concrete in the night. I was flabbergasted listening to that.

“He said that the South Africa game in Lucknow, which was played on red soil, helped Australia realize that while it’s better to bat first on red-soil surfaces, it’s always better to chase on black soil surfaces since the ball skids on well when the dew sets in.”

Ashwin’s disappointment playing only one match

Ashwin said India had a great World Cup and the team was outstanding in the tournament barring the blip in the final. He also spoke about this World Cup ending with just one match.

“Never thought that my run at the World Cup would end after playing one match in Chennai, because I was bowling with good rhythm,” Ashwin said.

“My return was supposed to come against New Zealand at Dharamsala, Hardik had a heartbreaking injury. Hardik Pandya was an important figure because we did not have an all-rounder to replace him,” he added.

High praise for Cummins

The Indian spinner showered high praise on Cummins for his bowling in the final. "Final was a tactical masterclass by Cummins, he had 4-5 fielding setup, similar to an off-spinner, hitting stump line - he bowled only 3 balls in the 6-metre mark towards the stump line as not allowing batters to drive - he bowled all overs without mid-off, a masterclass," Ashwin said.

He also praised Indian captain Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj and Shreyas Iyer.