'His Dismissal Was Key To The Final...': Michael Vaughan on Crucial Factor Behind India's 2023 ODI WC Final Loss

It was a case of one bad day and unfortunately for India, it came in the final. (AFP Photo)

November 19, 2023. A day burned into the memories of Indian Cricket fans for the worst of reasons. The day when a billion hearts were broken, as the world witnessed the mighty Indian Cricket Team fall to the mightier Australians in the final of the 32023 ICC ODI World Cup.

Glenn Maxwell with the winning runs and Australia lift the World Cup title for the sixth time. Pat Cummins and Co. rushed out to the park after Maxwell completed the double and celebrated their title triumph in front of 92,453 fans.

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It is a loss that to this day baffles fans and followers alike. How could a seemingly invincible team, who came into the finals on the back of an undefeated streak, lose it all in the last step? Did the hosts let the heat of the moment get to them? Did they just cave in mentally?

Well, former England skipper Michael Vaughan said, it was not a matter of India faltering or succumbing to the pressure, but rather Australia withstanding it much better than the hosts.

‘They dominated the whole World Cup. I don’t think they could have played any better then. In the final against Australia, well, sometimes you have to give the opposing team a huge amount of credit,” stated Vaughan in conversation with popular Youtube personality Ranveer Allahabadia, also known as ‘BeerBiceps’, in a recent episode of ‘The Ranveer Show’.

Vaughan also showered praise on the ‘genius’ of Australia skipper Pat Cummins who, in his opinion, showcased the best leadership he’s ever witnessed in an occasion as huge as the final.

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“I thought Pat Cummins, individually and as a team player, was a genius that week. The way that he spoke to the press saying that he wanted to quiet the Ahmedabad crowd down and deciding to bowl after winning the toss was a tactical genius move. He led that team as well as I’ve seen an individual lead a team in a big game.”

But, despite Australia’s dominance, Vaughan did in fact feel that there was one particular moment during the match that turned the tide for Australia: the dismissal of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.

There was pin-drop silence at the Narendra Modi Stadium as India lost their skipper Rohit and Iyer in quick succession. From 76/1, they were reduced to 81/3 in lightning-quick time and triggered the eventual collapse of the Indian batting order, that could only muster up a mere 240 runs in their innings.

“I did feel that with the bat in hand, Rohit was flying. His dismissal was key to that final. Had he played another half hour, maybe the other players would have followed and taken that score up a little bit deeper,’ exclaimed Vaughan.

“I wouldn’t say that they were fearful or playing in a fashion that was mentally weak. I just think Australia had a little bit of a stronger mentality on the day. If you want to be ultra critical, then India could have been a bit riskier with the bat in hand.”