New Delhi, November 21: Rohit Sharma later elaborated on how Australia’s fourth-wicket partnership played a crucial role in the outcome of the match. Both India and Australia faced a similar situation in the World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, losing three quick wickets in their innings. According to the Indian captain, Rohit Sharma’s aggressive 47-run knock provided India some stability, but Australia’s comeback through the partnership of Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne ultimately made the difference.
After Glenn Maxwell dismissed Rohit Sharma in the final over of the powerplay, followed by Shreyas Iyer’s dismissal, India lost 3 wickets for 81 runs in the 11th over. Despite KL Rahul and Virat Kohli’s efforts to carefully tackle the disciplined Australian attack, India’s plans for a crucial partnership were disrupted by Pat Cummins’ dismissal of Kohli. The rest of the lineup struggled to make a significant impact on the scoreboard.
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In reply to 241 runs, Australia also suffered an initial setback and lost three wickets in just 42 balls. However, contributions from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were limited as Head and Labuschagne took control of the situation. Similar to Kohli and Rahul, they started cautiously against what was considered ‘the best bowling line-up in the tournament’, but changed gears later. Head played the attacking role, scoring a brilliant 137 off 120, while Labuschagne held his end. Their 192-run partnership proved decisive as Australia achieved the target with seven overs to spare.
Rohit highlighted the importance of Australia’s fourth-wicket partnership and emphasized that India had initially set a target of 270-280, relying on the partnership between Kohli and Rahul. However, India’s inability to form sufficient partnerships allowed Australia to take control. Despite the challenging conditions, Rohit expressed pride in the team’s performance and admitted that Australia’s impressive partnership had a big impact on the game.
