WTC 2023- 3 major reasons behind India’s loss

Australia won the 2023 World Test Championship with a dominant performance against India at the Kennington Oval in London. Australia demonstrated their supremacy from the start of the event on June 7, 2023. The chase proved difficult despite a promising start for Rohit Sharma’s Indian team, with the score at 164 for 3 and the presence of Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli at the crease.

This was India’s second consecutive loss in a WTC final, following a loss to New Zealand in the first competition in 2021. Australia’s victory reinforced their outstanding performance throughout the tournament, confirming their title as deserving champions. Meanwhile, this loss should force the Indian team to introspect themselves. However, in today’s article, we will try to discuss the reasons behind India’s failure in the WTC finals.

1. Leaving Ravichandran Ashwin out of playing XI

The absence of Ravichandran Ashwin from India’s starting XI proved expensive in the World Test Championship finals against Australia. Ashwin is the highest-ranked Test bowler, with 474 wickets in 92 matches and a strike rate of 51.8. The decision to deploy four fast bowlers instead of one of the world’s finest spinners was highly panned by the cricketing fraternity.

Despite the Kennington Oval’s favorable conditions for fast bowlers, the Indian seamers failed to capitalize on it. On Day 1, Australia compiled 327/3, with Travis Head (146*) and Steve Smith (95*) capitalizing on India’s lackluster bowling lineup to establish a dangerous 251-run fourth-wicket stand. Ashwin’s presence may have given India’s bowling attack more variation and control, thus restricting Australia’s domination.

2. Top order failure

The failure of India’s top order contributed significantly to their defeat against Australia in the WTC 2023 Final. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virat Kohli all left the Oval prematurely, leaving Indian supporters extremely disappointed. The dismissal of captain Sharma for 15 runs, combined with Gill’s sudden exit after scoring only 13 runs, created a miserable tone for the team.

Pujara and Kohli, both regarded as pillars of the Indian batting order, could only contribute 14 runs each. Despite the Australian openers’ impressive batting effort, India required a much better performance to stay in the game. Their ambitions were dashed, however, as they lost early wickets in both innings, failing to live up to expectations.

3. Lack of preparations

India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, stated that if circumstances had been different, he would have had a month to prepare for the renowned game. This, however, cannot be used as an excuse because the programme was made public months in advance. Throughout the contest, it was clear that the Indian squad needed proper match preparation. The team secured three key wickets on the first day, putting Australia on the back foot.

However, in the subsequent sessions, Indian pacers struggled by frequently bowling short, resulting in consequences for Travis Head and Steve Smith. Australia’s excellent score was made possible by their lack of Test match practice and focus. Furthermore, the absence of match practice hampered Rohit Sharma and the team management in making selections.