Cricket World Cup 2023: “Australia deceived me personally”- Ravichandran Ashwin reveals Australia had perfect plan to beat India in final 

Ashwin also credited Pat Cummins's captaincy in the finals as Australia won by 6 wickets.

Cricket World Cup 2023: “Australia deceived me personally”- Ravichandran Ashwin reveals Australia had perfect plan to beat India in final 

Ravichandran Ashwin in the Narendra Modi Stadium (Image via ESPN)

India lost to Australia in the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup finals by 6 wickets. It was a one sided game, with Australia completely dominating the match. Electing to bowl first, the champions bowled out India for only 240 runs and chased it with ease despite losing 3 wickets in the Powerplay. Ravichandran Ashwin revealed on his YouTube channel that the Australians’ tactics were one reason they became champions. 

During the mid-innings break, Ashwin wanted to see if the pitch was disintegrating and met George Bailey, the Chief Selector, on the way. He asked him why Australia didn’t bat first and Bailey explained that the pitch played a massive role in the toss, crediting their experience in the IPL and bilateral series they have played. 

YouTube video
Australia totally deceived me personally, I was checking whether the pitch is disintegrating at mid-innings and I met George Bailey.
Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

He added:

I asked him why didn't you guys bat first like you always do - he answered back, 'We have played IPL & Bilateral series here a lot - red soil disintegrates but not black soil & it gets better under lights - no impact on dew on red soil but black soil has good turn in afternoon & then it will be a concrete in night.' I was flabbergasted after that

He also complimented Pat Cummin’s captaincy, talking in detail about his field placement. He also spoke about how his bowling improved throughout the tournament, saying his use of cutters was a huge reason they won the finals. 

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Ravichandran Ashwin calls out the poor quality balls provided during bilaterals and IPL by Kookaburra 

In the same video, Ravichandran Ashwin spoke about the quality of balls provided by Australian ball manufacturer, Kookaburra. The Kookaburra Turf white ball is used in ODIs and T20s in all international matches and T20 franchise leagues around the world. Despite the same ball being provided around the world, Ashwin noticed that the quality of balls differ from leagues and tournaments. 

Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin during training with a Kookaburra Turf Ball (Image via ESPN)

In his video, he noticed how the quality of balls provided in bilateral series and IPL differed from the ones in the IPL. Ashwin noticed the balls in IPL and bilateral series lose shape faster, turning from a sphere to an egg or lemon. He also  said the balls in the World Cup always land on the seam no matter how much the spinner rotates the ball or pacer bowls, keeping the shape. He also said the quality of balls should be constant throughout competitions. 

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