On Sunday, India took on Australia in the 2023 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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India had qualified for the final on the back of 10 consecutive wins in the tournament, while Australia did so with eight in a row. The sides beat New Zealand and South Africa respectively in the semifinals to make it to the showpiece event.
Batting first, India got off to a quick start thanks to openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, ending the first Powerplay on 80/2. After the dismissal of Shreyas Iyer for 1, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul came together to put on 67 for the fourth wicket. They were the top scorers in the innings with 51 and 66 respectively, as India eventually posted 240.
In the second innings, Australia raced out of the blocks, scoring 28 in the first two overs. Despite losing three wickets inside the first ten overs, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne put together a superb stand for the fourth wicket to help them to a six-wicket win.
Why Australia won the 2023 Cricket World Cup?
Australia came into the World Cup on the back of two bilateral series losses to South Africa and India, and one could be forgiven for thinking they were in for a tough time once they lost their opening two games to those very same teams in Chennai and Lucknow.
Heading into their third match against Sri Lanka, the five-time champions were already inching towards must-win territory, but they managed to get on the board despite not playing their best game.
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Thereafter, Australia won all their remaining group stage matches, before defeating South Africa in the second semifinal in Kolkata. Along the way, several different performers began to take centre-stage.
Superhuman show from players like Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell stole the show against Netherlands and Afghanistan, scoring the fastest-ever World Cup hundred and then becoming Australia's first-ever male double centurion. Maxwell's off-spin also proved useful throughout the tournament, alongside the sustained brilliance of leg-spinner Adam Zampa. Zampa finished with 23 wickets from 11 matches, a tally exceeded only by India's Mohammed Shami.
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Return of Travis Head
The Aussies were also boosted by the return of opener Travis Head from injury midway through the tournament. He opened his account with a blistering 109 against New Zealand in Dharamsala, before playing two more aggressive knocks of 62 and in the semifinal and final against South Africa and India.
Big-match mentality
As a team that seemed to discover its best form only midway through the tournament, the Australians eventually stuck to their trusted template in the knockout matches, planning and executing with ruthless efficiency.
