Star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed Australia’s “tactical brilliance and execution” that price India the World Cup 2023 final.
Ashwin made the startling revelation in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel on Thursday, November 23 and talked about how a struggling Pat Cummins received his mojo again in the later half of the match and guided the Kangaroos to their sixth ODI World Cup title in entrance of a sea of blue on the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
“Pat Cummins was struggling as an ODI bowler heading into the World Cup. But in the last four or five games leading into the final, nearly 50% of the balls he bowled were cutters,” Ashwin mentioned.
“In the final – I don’t know how many people explained it on TV – Cummins bowled to a four-five leg-side field like an offspinner, bowling the stump line. But he bowled only three balls in the six-meter mark or further up on the pitch in his entire ten-over spell. (He)Â knocked off crucial wickets in the final. The five fielders on the on side were square leg, midwicket, mid-on, deep square leg and long leg, and he bowled his ten overs without a mid-off,” he added.
Cummins was immaculate in phrases of his line and size and bowled in line with his area. His bowling figures of two/34 in 10 overs displayed his precision as he did not let the Indian batters put him away for boundaries on the off aspect and Ashwin lauded his efforts.
“Cummins’ execution ought to be applauded. It is simple to plan to bowl to a leg-side area. It is less complicated to bowl that approach in a Test match as a result of the umpires won’t name a large even in the event you bowl a few balls down leg. But to not bowl a large down leg in an ODI, execute the plans with that area and never enable batters to drive the ball is good. In my expertise, I’ve seen bowlers go for at the very least one or two fours with such a area.
“It was the first time I saw a fast bowler bowl to an offspinner’s field without a mid-off in a one-day game. Tactical brilliance, tactical execution. They had us there,” Ashwin concluded.
