The formidable Australians clinched their sixth ODI World Cup championship spectacularly, led by Travis Head’s formidable century. Head joins an exclusive club as the sixth batsman overall and the third Australian to achieve a century in the final match. In pursuit of a target of 241, the Australians secured victory with ease, finishing the game with 7 overs to spare, thanks to Head’s outstanding performance. Marnus Labuschagne also played a crucial role, contributing with a determined half-century.
The Narendra Modi Stadium was filled with heartbroken and disappointed fans in blue, as India lost the final match on their home ground. With Australia’s exceptional fielding and batting, India was simply outplayed on the ground.
It is worth noting that this season marked a lot of milestones for many players and teams in the running. With so many achievements, some would say that the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 was a historical event.
For teams, this season marked the first time the tournament was played in India, providing a unique opportunity for the host nation to make a strong showing in front of its home crowd. Additionally, the 2023 World Cup was the last to feature ten teams, as the tournament expanded to 20 teams in 2027.
On the individual level, several players had the opportunity to make a significant impact on this season. For example, Virat Kohli, the then-captain of the Indian national team, has become the first batter to complete 50 hundreds in ODIs, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar as the leading run-scorer in World Cup history. Kohli has also become the leading Indian fielder in the World Cup. Anil Kumble had taken 14 catches in 18 innings. Additionally, several bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins, climbed the ranks of the all-time wicket-takers list.
New Zealand’s Trent Boult completed his 200 wickets in ODIs during his match against Bangladesh. This achievement solidified his status as a prominent figure in international cricket.
Mohammed Shami broke Zaheer Khan’s record of most wickets picked by an Indian in a single edition of the ODI World Cup during India’s semifinal match against New Zealand in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Australia opener David Warner became the fastest to 1000 runs in the ODI World Cup during his match against India in Mumbai. The opener hit Hardik Pandya for a boundary down the ground that took him to the feat in just 19 innings.
Overall, this World Cup was a rollercoaster, to say the least. India came into their fourth ODI World Cup final, aiming to get revenge for their loss in the 2003 final. However, it wasn’t meant to be as Rohit Sharma’s men failed to stop the Australian juggernaut in Ahmedabad.
India came into the final on the back of a 10-match winning run, beating every team in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Meanwhile, Australia, who lost their opening two matches against India and South Africa, went on an eight-match winning streak to reach the final.
With this win, Australia lifted their record-extending sixth ODI World Cup trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
