ODI World Cup 2023: “India Probably Would Have Had The Choice Of Pitch…” – Aakash Chopra Points Out The Reason Behind Team’s Loss

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra feels that the Indian team has let themselves get into a trap by playing at a slow surface in Ahmedabad, where the batters failed to apply themselves in the middle overs and post a challenging total for Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Asking to bat first, the Men in Blue amassed 240 runs in 50 overs. KL Rahul was the highest scorer with 66 off 107, followed by scores of 47 (31), and 54 (63) from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma but other batters Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja failed to step up for the team in the crucial moment of the tournament.

Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Aakash Chopra opined the Indian team has opted to play on the wrong surface in the marquee final against Australia and believes that the Men In Blue had spun their own web by choosing on tough surface for batting at the 1st innings.

“I feel India conceded a point right at the start. India probably would have had the choice of pitch they wanted to play on. The Indian team chose the black-soil pitch, where there will be a lot of help for a spin. However, the starting point was probably slightly defensive.”

“We shouldn’t have even needed to think about the sort of pitch we should have played on against Australia. If you get to bat first, the pitch shouldn’t be one that doesn’t allow you to play with freedom. When you chose a dry black-soil pitch, you got stuck in your own web, if you think in that way,” Aakash Chopra said.

Even though Pat Cummins won the toss and audaciously decided to bowl first, Rohit Sharma said he would have preferred to bat. Despite the Indian skipper’s brilliant start and bold strategy heading into the final, the Men in Blue were unable to muster a respectable score in the 50 overs.

The Final Encounters Are Driven By Two Factors – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra outlined the two main causes of the Indian team’s defeats in the championship game, saying that the Australian team won the ODI World Cup because they were starting the game fearless and making fewer mistakes.

“The final encounters are driven by two factors. The first is that a team that makes fewer mistakes generally finds themselves in better situations. They are the teams that absorb pressure. The others are the ones who dare to play fearlessly.”

“So these are two big factors. If you do handle these two factors well, no one can stop you from winning. That doesn’t guarantee you success but you will win tomorrow if not today, because you are a winner if you have these two qualities. Australia showed that by doing it,” Aakash Chopra added.

Pat Cummins-led side brilliantly started the innings picking up the wickets of Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer in quick time and giving their all on the field to restrict them to 240 runs. The six-time champions won the match by seven wickets because of their outstanding batting performance.