Australian cricket team skipper Pat Cummins surprised a lot of experts and fans with his decision to bowl first after winning the toss in the Cricket World Cup 2023 final against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. However, his choice was proven to be the right one as the Aussies went on to win the match and claim a record-extending sixth World Cup title. While the conventional thinking dictates that teams prefer to set the target in crucial matches, Cummins decided to follow the trend of results at the venue where three out of the last fours times the game was won by the side batting second.
Following the final, Cummins revealed how he struggled with the coin toss decision and what led to the decision of bowling first in Ahmedabad.
“The pitch played pretty well actually, it was quite slow and basically no bounce, but I do not think the bounce was anything different to anywhere else in the tournament. It probably did not spin as much as I thought it would. Yesterday it looked really dry, but it was quite firm today. Yeah, the wicket was fine really. And then the toss, we were kind of umming and ahhing right up until the toss really – but I thought you know half a chance of the wicket got better tonight and you know in a World Cup game you can make a mistake bowling and it does not really matter too much, but if you make a mistake batting and you are under pressure it can be fatal so I just felt like it was the right time to go out and have a bowl.”
Cummins also said that he fell in love once again with ODI cricket thanks to the World Cup.
“That is huge (The World Cup win), I think that’s the pinnacle of international cricket, winning a one-day World Cup. Especially over here in India, in front of a crowd like this. Yeah, that is huge. Yeah, it has been a big year for everyone, but our cricket team has been here in India, the Ashes, World Test Championship and top it off with this is just huge and these are the moments that you will remember for the rest of your life.”
“Maybe because we won, but I did fall in love with ODI again this World Cup. I think the scenario where every game really matters, it does mean a bit different to just a bilateral. The World Cup’s got such rich history, I am sure it is going to be around for a long time. Yeah, there are so many wonderful games, so many wonderful stories within these last couple of months. So, I think there’s definitely a place (for ODI cricket),” he added.