‘I Saw The Pitch Change Its Colour’: Mohammed Kaif Blames Rohit-Dravid For 2023 WC Final Loss
"I was there for three days. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid inspected the pitch every day for 3 days ahead of the final. They stood beside the pitch for an hour every day. I saw the pitch change its colour. There was no watering the pitch, no grass on the track. India wanted to give Australia a slow track. This is the truth, even if people don't want to believe it," Kaif said during a show on ‘The Lallantop’.
"The feeling was that Australia had Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc, so India wanted to give a slow pitch, and that was our mistake. Many people say that curators do their own thing and we don't influence - that is rubbish. When you are moving around the pitch - you have to say just two lines - please don't put water, just reduce the grass. This happens. That is the truth. And it should be done. You are playing at home. And we did it a little too much," he added.
India had reached the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup with an unbeaten run, having won 10 matches in a row.
After having been asked to bat first in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19, 2023, a majority of India’s batters failed miserably as they were dismissed for 240.
Travis Head (137) and Marnus Labuschagne (58*) would then help Australia chase down the target with seven overs to spare to clinch a record sixth title.
For the records, ICC's pitch consultant Andy Atinkson had exited the ODI World Cup just ahead of the final - reportedly due to his differences with the BCCI on how the pitch should be for the summit clash.