Never seen such a bad pitch for any ICC final, it’s great for cricket that India lost: Abdul Razzaq

India’s dream run in the ODI World Cup 2023 ended on November 19 as their first loss in the tournament came in the summit clash against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq came up with an explosive assessment of the final, blaming India for using a “bad pitch” to try and help themselves win the all-important clash. According to Razzaq, Australia’s six-wicket win against India at the largest cricket stadium in the world was a great result for the sport.

“Cricket won and India lost! Had India won the World Cup, it would have been very sad moment for the game. They used conditions to their advantage and I have never seen such a bad pitch for any ICC final before. It’s great for cricket that India lost,” the 43-year-old said while analysing the final.

Rohit Sharma lost the toss as India were sent to bat first. On a dryish wicket, the Indian batters struggled to find their timing as they huffed and puffed to 240. The Aussies lost three wickets inside the first PowerPlay but a sensational 192-run partnership between Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne took the ‘Men in Yellow’ to the brink before Glenn Maxwell came out and hit the winning runs. After the match, Rohit decided against giving excuses for the loss but mentioned that the ball came on nicely onto the bat, under the lights, in the second innings.

India and Australia will lock horns once again in a five-match T20I series which starts this week. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the home side while Matthew Wade will be in charge of the Australian contingent. Many players who represented these two nations in the World Cup have been rested for this series. The first T20I takes place on Thursday, November 23 in Visakhapatnam.