There was much debate and discussion on the pitch that was dished out for the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where Australia ended hosts India’s unbeaten 10-match winning streak to lift the coveted trophy for a record-extending sixth time. The International Cricket Council (ICC), according to a report on Friday, revealed their rating for the Ahmedabad pitch and the ones used for the semifinal games.
The November 19 clash for the title between India and Australia was played on a used track. Put to bat first on a sluggish pitch, India were folded for 240 runs which was chased down by the Aussies with seven overs to spare, courtesy of Travis Head’s marvellous century knock.
Before the big game, Australia captain Pat Cummins had reportedly raised a concern over he pitch, which as previously used for the India-Pakistan match on October 14, while his India counterpart Rohit Sharma stayed away from the talk around it. Later, after the final, two-time World Cup-winning captain Ricky Ponting reckoned that India’s pitch ploy for the final had “backfired”.
According to a report in Times of India, ICC have rated the Ahmedabad track as “average”. The rating was given by ICC match referee Andy Pycroft. The report further added that five of India’s 11 games – against South Africa in Kolkata, vs England in Lucknow, vs Pakistan in Ahmedabad and vs Australia in Chennai – were played on “averaged-rated” pitches. Among the matches played by India on pitch that was rated “good” by the ICC, the assessment made by former India bowler Javagak Srinath, was the semifinal against New Zealand in Mumbai.
Previously, in a report in Dainik Jagran, India head coach Rahul Dravid along with Rohit sat with the BCCI officials to review the team’s performance in the tournament. Dravid had then reportedly blamed the Ahmedabad as the reason behind India’s loss in the final. He reckoned that the pitch did not turn as much as the team management expected it would have, this being a major factor behind India not being able to strangle Australia in the chase of 241.
