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India illustrated the notion that if your fear of losing is greater than your will to win then you are going to find yourselves in trouble at some vital moment of the tournament – and for the World Cup hosts that moment came the final.
Australia took risks and appeared quite prepared for those risks to backfire and even to look foolish.
Also, the fighting factor – Australia fought back from being in trouble to find a way to win game after game throughout the pool matches.
In fact, Australia had to fight their way out of a different hole to win in most of those games they won, with a different combination of players stepping up each time.
It may sound like a cruel statement but India played like a coterie of eleven individual superstars nervously monitoring their net worth in endorsements and IPL value whereas Australia played like a bunch of great mates having an absolute blast and playing for each other.
India was partly a victim of their own success in winning so many games so easily. India’s top-order batsmen expected to dominate from the get-go just as India’s front-line bowling attack expected to make inroads as a matter of course.
There was no need for a Plan B. India’s tail never needed to wag whereas Australia proved they could bat down to number 10.
This meant in the final when India was five wickets down, the batsmen knew if they lost their wicket the tail would be exposed. In contrast, in previous games, India’s batsmen had played with freedom.
Similarly, India’s bowlers were rarely in the position where they needed to be defensive to save the game – until the final where the Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne show had them flummoxed.
It seemed India was not equipped to change gears mid-match and move to another tactical game plan to respond to changes in fortunes.
India had one mode of play which had worked brilliantly up until the final. Australia had a captain and support crew smart enough to play the game in a way that dragged India out of their comfort zone and even shut down the crowd.
That came in many forms; winning the toss and risking bowling first. The manic fielding. The unexpected chopping and changing of the bowlers.
The approach taken by each individual batsman. India was not able to play the brand of cricket that had been working so well for them and there did not seem to be a Plan B.
Finally, it is a shame India’s players didn’t stay on the field to watch Australia lift the trophy.
Apart from the obvious disrespect, India robbed themselves of the opportunity to really feel the pain of this loss and gain the sort of hunger you need to win these sorts of games in the future.
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