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New Delhi: The soil for the pitch of Cricket World Cup 2023 Final was from Odisha, said Team India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me make it clear, Australia did not win because of destiny or luck. They were tactically outstanding in the final. I watched their performance in the final with absolute fascination. Australia and Pat Cummins deceived me. I thought Australia would bat first if they win the toss because, historically, it\u2019s an Aussie thing to \u2018win the toss and bat\u2019. The wicket used for the final was not Ahmedabad soil, it was rather from Odisha. It was the kind of wicket that would not disintegrate too much,\u201d said Ashwin.<\/p>\n
Ashwin was highly impressed with Pat Cummins\u2019s \u201ctactical masterclass\u201d in the finals as Cummins went on to take two key wickets of Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinal was a tactical masterclass by Cummins, he had a 4-5 fielding setup, similar to an off-spinner, hitting stump line \u2013 he bowled only 3 balls in the 6-meter mark towards the stump line as not allowing batters to drive \u2013 he bowled all-overs without mid-off, a masterclass,\u201d said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.<\/p>\n
Ashwin also anticipated Australia to stick to tradition and bat first, but they surprised everyone with their decision. He noted that Australia\u2019s choice at the toss was rooted in analyzing the pitch\u2019s black soil, which tends to favor batting in the evening.<\/p>\n
Ashwin also recalled his chat with Australia\u2019s Chief Selector George Baily after the match and said: \u201cI had a chat with George Bailey during the mid innings, I asked him why didn\u2019t you guys bat first like you always do \u2013 he answered back, we have played IPL & Bilateral series here a lot \u2013 red soil disintegrates but not black soil & it gets better under lights \u2013 no impact on dew on red soil but black soil has good turn in afternoon & then it will be a concrete in night \u2013 this is our experience,\u201d said Ashwin.<\/p>\n
The spin-bowling all-rounder further said that he never thought that his World Cup journey would end with him playing just one match. Ashwin played the India\u2019s first league game against Australia at his home ground \u2013 the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, claiming one wicket for 34 runs in his allotted ten overs quota.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever thought that my run at the World Cup would end after playing one match in Chennai, because I was bowling with good rhythm. My return was supposed to come against New Zealand at Dharamsala, Hardik had a heartbreaking injury. Hardik Pandya was an important figure because we did not have an all-rounder to replace him,\u201d Ashwin said.<\/p>\n
(IANS inputs)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n