Aussies grab the cup

By: G Sai Prashanth, Vaishavi Arulla, Isha, Harshita, Fathimath, Vaishnavi, Kartik, Ananya Sriram, Lalitha, Pratiksha

The winning streak of the Indian cricket team in the World Cup series came to an abrupt end with the mighty Aussies, winning the match by 6 wickets with 42 balls to spare.

"It doesn't get any bigger than this. The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Final is filled with stellar performances and an experience of a lifetime," BCCI posted on X. Celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment including Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Asha Bhosle and many others were spotted supporting the men in blue amidst a crowd of nearly one lakh people in Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian deputy prime minister Richard Marles added heft to the event.

Australia winning the toss almost directed the match in their favour. Pat Cummings's strategy of bowling first, guaranteed them the cup. While the first few overs seemed to be going good for the men in blue, the tables quickly turned when Mitchell Starc gave the Aussies a breakthrough by taking Shubman Gill's wicket. The second wicket to fall for the men in blue was Rohit Sharma who departed after scoring 47 runs from 31 balls. He was dismissed by Glen Maxwell while trying to get a boundary with the catch taken by Travis Head. After the first two wickets, the top batting order crumbled with the quick wicket of Shreyas Iyer who departed sooner than expected at 4 runs from 3 balls.

With the third wicket falling, K.L. Rahul stepped inside the stadium. The partnership between Kohli and Rahul lasted for 109 balls and 67 runs until Kohli lost his wicket to an unexpected short ball from Cummins. Kohli's superb form allowed him to score a lot of singles, getting him up to a score of 54, but still, with the pace and length of the Australian bowlers, the Indian team struggled to score any boundaries after the power play. K. L. Rahul scored a total of 66 runs and lost his wicket to Mitchell Starc, with Josh Inglis catching it.

With the really aggressive bowling pace and the strategic field placements, Indian team wickets were falling like cards. Pat Cummins played his role as a ringmaster and the captain of the Aussies, preventing the Indians from scoring big. After the break, the Aussies had to chase a score of 241 in 50 overs. Shami, continuing his 7-wicket streak from the semi-finals, took his first wicket on his first ball, sending David Warner back in just 7 runs. Jasprit Bumrah took the wicket of Mitchell Marsh in his third over, and with a total score of 41, the Indian team was dominating the Australian team. With the Aussies losing the wicket of Steve Smith, the Indian team's dominance came to an end.

Travis Head and Labuschagne broke the Indian dominance and scored a partnership of 192 in 215 balls. It took the Indian team more than 30 overs to get another wicket. Glen Maxwell entered the stadium with just two runs left for the Australian team's victory. The Australian team took home the World Cup for the sixth time, silencing the wave of blue jerseys gathered in the stadium.