Australia achieved a resounding victory over India on Sunday, with a remarkable 209-run lead, securing their triumph in the World Test Championship final. This achievement made Australia the first cricketing nation to possess every ICC title in their illustrious collection of trophies.
Simultaneously, India's unfortunate trend of defeats in ICC knockout matches persisted, as they suffered their fourth consecutive loss in the final within the span of ten years. With the conclusion of this ultimate Test match, it is now essential to analyze and determine the factors that led to Rohit Sharma and his teammates' struggle in this game.
The bowling performance in the first innings was disappointing.
India benefited from winning the coin toss and opting to bowl first on the pristine pitch at the Oval, which provided considerable swing and movement for the seam bowlers in the initial stages of the match.
Nevertheless, the Indian bowlers failed to fully exploit the favorable conditions, as they predominantly delivered shorter-length deliveries throughout the innings. As a result, the Australian batsmen were able to find their rhythm and accumulate a substantial score in the first innings.
The batters repeated the same errors they had made before.
India's batting performance was more woeful than their bowling, as they were unable to surpass the 300-run milestone on both occasions. In the first innings, after their top order was destabilised by the Australian pace attack, Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur displayed resilience and formed a determined partnership to prevent the follow-on. However, in the second innings, they capitulated, with the experienced players making familiar errors.
Despite getting off to a good start, Rohit Sharma couldn't convert it into a substantial score, while Virat Kohli was dismissed while attempting an aggressive shot away from his body. Additionally, Cheteshwar Pujara faced failure in both innings, and Ravindra Jadeja could only manage 48 runs throughout the match.
Inadequate strategies during the game and insufficient prior readiness.
India appeared ineffective in their ball handling and lacked a clear strategy when Travis Head and Steve Smith effortlessly guided Australia to an enormous first innings score. According to bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, captain Rohit Sharma displayed hesitance in employing body-line bowling against Head immediately after his arrival at the crease. This lack of premeditation from Sharma proved to be costly for the Indian team, as Head spectacularly scored 163 runs from just 174 deliveries.
Additionally, it seemed that the Indian team was ill-prepared for the match, taking longer to assess the playing conditions compared to their Australian counterparts. Consequently, Australia swiftly adapted to the English conditions and ultimately secured a decisive victory in the final Test.
Also Read: For those 55 minutes at The Oval
Conclusion -
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