3 factors that cost India in WTC final
Team India once again missed out on ending a 10-year wait for an ICC Trophy after a heavy 209-run loss against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval. Rohit Sharma and Co. couldn't even compete for most of the Test as they were outplayed by Pat Cummins and his men across all departments.
While India were without some absolute match-winners like Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah for the final, some of the mistakes they made as a team didn't help their cause either, as they only added to their woes.
On that note, let's take a look at three such reasons that cost India another chance to win an ICC Trophy:
#3 Toss
Cloudy conditions and a green pitch meant that both captains, Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins, wanted to bowl first. The coin came down in favor of Rohit, and it meant that Australia had to bat first in those testing conditions. However, even they wouldn't have expected the blessing in disguise that losing the toss turned out to be.
The testing conditions seemed to last barely a session as Australia piled on a mammoth 327/3 at the end of play on Day 1. They ended up with 469 in their first innings, a total that seemed just a bit too much on a pitch with variable bounce and movement. That strong first innings pushed Rohit and Co. so far behind that they always had to chase the game.
#2 Indian bowlers not making the most of the conditions
It almost seemed like, with the conditions that the Indian bowlers had at their disposal on Day 1, no way should they have let Australia get to a score of more than 300, let alone 469.
The pacers, especially Mohammed Shami, were a bit short in their lengths. That meant that there weren't just enough deliveries in the good length area where the ball was doing enough to trouble the batters. Travis Head and Steve Smith scored hundreds, and the bowlers just looked beleaguered in that innings.
#1 Top-order failure
The Rohit Sharma-led side arguably had the better conditions to bat of the two in the first innings, and there was a sense of optimism that a strong batting performance would make the game more interesting.
However, the top order failed miserably, and it was only the rearguard efforts of the lower middle order that helped them stay in the game. The top order didn't turn up in the second innings either, with Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virat Kohli all playing wreckless shots to get dismissed.
The biggest disappointment for the Men in Blue in the WTC final has been the inability of their experienced batters to grind it out in the middle and bat for as long as possible.