Behind the Defeat: Unpacking the Five Misfortunes for India in the World Cup Final

This year’s World Cricket Championship final has triggered a range of mixed feelings, and those feelings do not seem to dissipate anytime soon. The final took place in Ahmedabad, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in front of almost 100,000 spectators. With this championship India broke all attendance records for a cricket world championship, with over 1.25 million fans visiting stadium stands across India during these six weeks. So there’s no need to talk about how India was the absolute favorite to win its third world championship title in front of their people, especially knowing that it won the last one 12 years ago.

Their opponent in the grand final was the five-time world champion, powerful Australia, which did not come to this championship as an underdog. Until that moment, India had a perfect record and everything was ready for the coronation where the Prime Minister was supposed to present the trophy to the nation's heroes, but to the great regret of many, that did not happen. Australia managed to stop India and take home the title of world champion in cricket. It is clear  that things often do not go according to plan, so we have dedicated this article to those little things that have changed the fate of India and left them without the biggest title. In this text, we will talk about 5 key moments in which things went wrong in the most important match of the season.

Drama From the Toss

It is the final match and every move is followed with greater attention and an extra dose of excitement, so all eyes are on the toss and on the team captains’ decisions, whether they will bat or bowl first. In cricket, it is known that many factors play a role in the outcome of big and important matches, so the toss and pitch and other conditions were of great importance for both teams.

It was precisely for this reason, that all the biggest cricket experts were stunned by the late decision that came just before the final, which agreed to switch the field for the final game.  

After this decision, everything went in India's favor, everyone believed that this pitch would suit their spinners and their abilities, but also that it would reduce the influence of the Australian bowlers. But that did not happen, and things turned in Australia's favor, in fact, as soon as India lost the toss, even though the Australian Pat Cummins, to the amazement of the Indian fans, chose to take the field.

Game Without Frontiers

The Indian players started strongly, led by Rohit Sharma, and then Virat Kohli, who with a good attack and three consecutive boundary shots off Mitchell Starc at the beginning of the seventh over, it seemed that they still had the strings in their hands. Unfortunately for the Indian fans, Shreyas Iyer was dismissed in the 11th over, after which India entered a difficult period that we called "game without limits" and which lasted more than an hour and even 90 balls.

India's hope rested on Kohli, who seemed ready to respond to all conditions and was aware of his role, but one slower swing and an off-cutter from Cummins were so strong that they silenced the full stadium.

Australian Quick Bowlers

The reason why everyone favored India was their fast bowlers, but they were met in the final by a very competitive Australian team, led by Hazlewood and Starc, who are known for their sharp line and length (Hazlewood) and for their skill and aggression (Starc ). The two of them were joined by Cummins with his own, which marked the beginning of the end for India.

The Spinners

Spinners play a key role in cricket, adding another dimension to the bowling attack, India has the best, and Shami has been in the headlines for a reason, although he did have a good help from Yadav and Jadeja. Today, however, the question remains, did India study the pitch badly, and should they have brought Ashwin, could his role have been crucial? As they took advantage of the heat and slow pitch, the combination which proved to be a winning one, the Australian spinners ensured that it remained unclear forever.

The Seamers

If they were to compare the positions of the seamers, at first hand they would say that they played two different games, on different pitches. There was humidity on the field, which was not as strong as expected, but it still managed to disrupt the Indian bowlers. You remember the importance of the conditions from the beginning of the text, they came to the fore in this final, where there was just enough moisture that the dew did not have an abrasive effect on the ball, and therefore the ball hit the bat much better. So by the 43rd over, all hope that they would turn the ball over to India and win their third world championship title was gone.

Betting Insights and the Final’s Impact

The final had a much bigger impact, apart from that on the teams and fans, but also on bettors and bookmakers who, as it seems, were mostly wrong. India entered the final without any major obstacles, and according to bookmakers in the UK they were the absolute favorite of this final, while the Australian players mostly played below par, but the fact that Australia is the most successful national team in the history of world cups should not be ignored.

Anish Bashah, betting market analysis provider, confirmed that all the odds were in India's favor, but added that it was still a match between the two best teams. If we look at some of the leading betting companies, they also favored India, so Australian bookmakers offered up to 2.9 times the amount for Australia to win, which is more than double the 1.4 that was offered for India to win.

Therefore, the bettors who gambled against India, which according to all parameters, including the field and conditions, had the strings in their hands, probably won incredible gains considering the size of the quota set. While, on the other hand, bookmakers, such as the Australian ones, which offered large odds on the victory of Australia, had to pay out hefty figures due to the unexpected victory.

The surprising outcome could in the future influence bookmakers and experts to reconsider their decisions and strategies before setting odds, given that cricket is unpredictable. Also, poorly set odds often leave a mark on bettors, who invest their money and trust the bookmakers.

Finally, as we wait for the next championship all we can do is wonder whether things would have turned out differently, only if Rohit had won the toss and chosen first. Maybe, in that case, this article would have been named something different, more like “All the Things that went according to Plan for India”.