Australia's bowler Pat Cummins celebrates the wicket of Indian batter Shreyas Iyer during the ICC World Cup 2023 final, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, Sunday, November 19. Photo: PTI
Ahmedabad, Nov 19 (PTI) Restricting a powerful Indian batting line-up to 240 was a huge factor in Australia winning their sixth World Cup, captain Pat Cummins said on Sunday, terming the victory as their best effort in the showpiece.
Riding on Travis Head's 120-ball 137, the Aussies chased down the target after an early stutter to etch a six-wicket victory.
"We saved our best for the last. I am chuffed with keeping them to 240 - anything under 300 really. I was one of those blokes with the hearts fluttering but Head took the game on," said Cummins during the post-match presentation.
The wining skipper said it was a delight to see the big-match players in his ranks such as Head, Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Starc putting their hands up on the big night.
"A couple of big-match players stepped up and chuffed. It was a shift after two games. The openers were really aggressive and it was a total buy-in from everyone. We will remember this year (2023) for a long time. This pips it all," said Cummins.
Cummins then went on to explain his decision to chase the target rather than setting one, something teams usually refrain from doing in high-stakes matches. "We thought it was a good night to chase. The pitch was slower than I thought and it didn't particularly spin and we bowled tight lines. On a slow wicket with variable bounce, we had a couple of catchers on the leg side," he said.
Cummins was also effusive in his praise for Australia's effort on the field. "We have an ageing side but everyone threw themselves around,” he said.
Man-of-the-match Head joined the squad late as he was recovering from a hand injury that he suffered during the pre-World Cup bilateral ODI series against South Africa.
Cummins patted the South Australian for his awesome innings in the final.
"The selectors backed him even when he had a broken hand. It's a big risk and it paid off." The Sydney cricketer was happy to play and triumph in front of passionate spectators in India.
"It was awesome to play and the passion in India is unrivalled. You just got to go and win a World Cup (in India). You can't wait for it," he concluded. PTI