3 Indian players who starred in the IPL, but failed in the WTC final
India put in a disappointing display in the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2023, going down to Australia by 209 runs at The Oval.
Things began on an optimistic note for Rohit Sharma and Co. after they won the toss and bowled first under overcast conditions. The bowlers combined to reduce the Aussies to 76/3 but were not much joy for India thereafter.
Travis Head (163 off 174) and Steven Smith (121 off 268) added 285 runs for the fourth wicket. Keeper-batter Alex Carey also chipped in with 48 as Australia ended up posting an impressive 469 on the board.
India slumped to 71/4 in response before Ajinkya Rahane (89), Shardul Thakur (51) and Ravindra Jadeja (48) lifted them to 296.
Having gained a highly significant lead of 173, Australia did a good job in the second innings to post 270/8 declared and set India a near-improbable target of 444.
The Men in Blue ended Day 4 on 164/3, with faint hopes of a miraculous win. However, things unraveled pretty quickly for India for the last day as they were bowled out for 234.
Just a few days before the WTC final, most of the Indian cricketers from the squad were plying their trade in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
In this feature, we look at three Indian players who starred in the IPL but failed in the WTC final.
#3 Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami was the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2023. In 17 matches for Gujarat Titans (GT), he bagged an impressive haul of 28 wickets, which came at an average of 18.64 and an economy rate of 8.03. The right-arm pacer had two four-wicket hauls to his credit in the competition.
He claimed four wickets for 11 runs against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Shami ran through the DC top and middle order, claiming the scalps of Phil Salt (0), Rilee Rossouw (8), Manish Pandey (1), and Priyam Garg (10). Shami’s stupendous effort went in vain as DC recovered from 23/5 to post 130/8 and then held Gujarat to 125/6.
The 32-year-old also starred with figures of 4/20 against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Ahmedabad. Gujarat went on to win the match by 34 runs, defending a total of 188.
There were high hopes for Shami in the WTC final, especially in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, as he was the team’s pace spearhead. However, the fast bowler failed to take advantage of the overcast conditions on Day 1.
Shami did get the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne (26) with a good delivery. However, he picked up only two wickets in the first innings for 122 runs in 29 overs.
The pacer did better in the second innings, registering figures of 2/39, but his wickets came towards the end when the match was all but out of India’s grasp.
#2 Virat Kohli
Team India’s superstar batter, Virat Kohli was fantastic for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2023. He was the fourth-leading run-getter in the T20 league, slamming 639 runs in 14 matches at an average of 53.25 and a strike rate of 139.82.
The 34-year-old struck magnificent hundreds in back-to-back matches. He hammered 100 off only 63 balls against SRH as RCB chased down 187 in a thumping fashion.
Kohli scored an exceptional ton in Bangalore’s must-win encounter against GT M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. He hit 101* off 61 balls as RCB put up 197/5, batting first. The fantastic knock, however, went in vain as Gujarat chased the target with six wickets in hand. Apart from two hundreds, Kohli also notched up six fifties in IPL 2023.
There was much hype over the Kohli vs Steve Smith battle ahead of the WTC final. However, there was only one winner here. The Indian batter was dismissed for 14 in the first innings after the Aussie smashed a ton.
Kohli was looking good in the second innings. But on 49, he played a needless extravagant drive and was caught at slip of Scott Boland’s bowling. Steve Smith also earned some brownie points for taking the catch to dismiss Kohli in both innings.
#1 Shubman Gill
After an exceptional IPL 2023 season for Gujarat Titans, Shubman Gill got a dose of how tough Test cricket can get. The talented young batter looked near-invincible at times during the IPL. He was the leading run-getter in the season, clobbering 890 runs in 17 matches at an average of 59.33 and a strike rate of 157.80.
Gill notched up three tons in IPL 2023 and also registered four fifties. After remaining unbeaten on 94 off 51 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he registered his maiden IPL ton against SRH, smacking 101 off only 58 balls. In the very next match, his 104* off 52 balls against RCB outshone Kohli’s ton.
The elegant right-handed batter almost single-handedly lifted GT into the IPL 2023 final, pounding 129 off 60 balls in Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Ahmedabad.
It was a completely different story in the WTC final. Gill did not know where his off-stump was. In the first innings, he left a delivery from Scott Boland and was bowled for 13.
In the second essay, he jabbed at a ball from the same bowler and was brilliantly caught at gully by Cameron Green for 18.
The authenticity of the catch can be debated, but there are no two ways about the fact that Gill played another poor stroke, yet again failing to capitalize on his stupendous IPL form.