India Vs Australia Final

Unbeaten through ten games

India went into the 2023 World Cup final having won every one of their ten matches in the tournament, a run built on a settled batting order and an attack that had bowled sides out on flat pitches across the country. Rohit Sharma had led from the front through the tournament, attacking the new ball from the first over of every innings regardless of the match situation, and the bowling attack of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj had been among the most effective seen at a single World Cup, repeatedly bowling opposing sides out well under par totals. The final was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the largest cricket ground in the world, in front of a crowd reported at more than 90,000, most of it expecting a home celebration to cap a tournament that India had dominated from the opening match onward.

Cummins chooses to bowl

Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bowl, a decision that went against India's unbeaten run at the toss through the tournament and against the pattern most captains had followed all tournament of batting first at this ground. It paid off inside the first ten overs: Shubman Gill was caught for 4 off Mitchell Starc, and Rohit Sharma, having made a rapid 47 from 31 balls that had briefly threatened to blow the total away from Australia, was caught off Glenn Maxwell's spin. Shreyas Iyer followed for 4, caught off Pat Cummins, and India were 81 for 3 in the eleventh over, the fast start Rohit had given them undone within a handful of balls.

Kohli and Rahul rebuild

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul rebuilt through the middle overs, adding 67 for the fourth wicket before Kohli was bowled by Pat Cummins for 54, an innings that added to the all-time record for most runs in a single World Cup tournament, a mark he had already broken earlier in the competition, in the semi-final against New Zealand. Rahul continued on, playing the anchor role through to the batting powerplay and beyond, and reached 66 from 107 balls before he was caught off Mitchell Starc in the 42nd over. Between them they had absorbed the pressure created by the early wickets, working the ball into gaps against Australia's tight lines, but neither could turn the platform into the total India wanted against bowling that never allowed a period of free scoring.

India are bowled out for 240

After Rahul's dismissal, India lost wickets steadily against a disciplined Australian attack, with only Suryakumar Yadav, making 18, offering any resistance before he was caught. Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav all made small contributions down the order without being able to lift the total significantly, and Kuldeep Yadav was run out for 10 as India's innings closed. India were bowled out for 240 in the final over, well below the total that had won them every match so far in the tournament. Mitchell Starc took 3 for 55 and Pat Cummins 2 for 34, and Josh Hazlewood added 2 for 60, a spread of wickets across Australia's attack rather than one bowler dominating.

Warner falls, Head does not

Australia's chase began in trouble. David Warner was caught for 7 in the second over, and Mitchell Marsh was caught for 15 soon after, before Steven Smith was lbw for 4, Australia slipping to 47 for 3 inside seven overs against Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj bowling with the new ball in helpful conditions under lights. It was exactly the kind of start India's bowling attack had produced against sides all tournament, and for a period it looked as though the pattern of the whole competition, India bowling opponents out cheaply, would repeat itself once more, on the biggest stage of all. Travis Head, who had only recently recovered from a broken hand to be included in the squad, had opened the batting alongside Warner and began to take the game away from India, driving and pulling with little apparent concern for the situation his side had been in.

Labuschagne sees it through

Head and Marnus Labuschagne added 192 runs together, taking the total from 47 to 239 before Head was finally caught for 137 from 120 balls, the highest score of the match, in the 43rd over, by which point Australia needed only two more runs to win. The stand had systematically dismantled the pressure India's bowlers had built early on, Head taking on the spinners in particular and finding boundaries through gaps that had looked well covered against India's earlier opponents. Labuschagne finished unbeaten on 58, playing the steadier role alongside Head's aggression, and Glenn Maxwell was there with him as Australia reached 241 for 4 with six wickets and 42 balls to spare. Travis Head was named player of the match.

A record crowd goes quiet

Australia won their sixth World Cup, more than any other side, extending a record they already held, and did it in front of a crowd that had gathered expecting a very different outcome. For India, the defeat came at the end of a tournament that had otherwise been close to perfect, a single loss in eleven matches that happened to fall on the day that mattered most. Rohit Sharma's side would have to wait for another tournament to try to turn a dominant group stage into a trophy on home soil. The full scorecard from Ahmedabad, including every fall of wicket and the Head-Labuschagne partnership in full, is on this page, and the two finalists can be explored on the India and Australia team pages. In The Chase you can take either side into a final of your own and try to finish what each team could not quite manage that November night.

Sources

• CricArcade World Cup archive: the full scorecard, fall of wickets and partnerships on this page
• ESPNcricinfo: 2023 World Cup final scorecard and report
• Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2024: the World Cup in India