Former India player Gautam Gambhir gave credit to Australia for being the braver side in the 2023 World Cup final. As per him, while the Aussies attacked despite losing three early wickets in their chase of 241, India could not manage to chase down in the same situation. Team India went into the 2023 World Cup final as favourites, after having won 10 matches in a row. However, they failed to win on the big day, losing to Australia by six wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
In an interaction with Sportskeeda, Gambhir lauded Australia for showing courage under immense pressure as well. “Got to give credit to Australia. I think they were braver. At 47/3, if India were chasing 240, they would have gone into their shell even more. Travis Head scored a run-a-ball hundred. They were braver and the team that has courage will win big matches and big tournaments. Most talented teams don’t go and win tournaments. That is the truth. The sooner we accept, the better it is,” he said.
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However, while chasing 241, Australia lost David Warner (7), Mitchell Marsh (15), and Steve Smith (4) inside the first powerplay. Travis Head, however, smashed 137 off 120 balls to guide his team to their sixth World Cup title as well. And, seeing the 2023 World Cup final result, Gambhir has urged Indian fans to have reasonable expectations from the Indian cricket team as well.
“We cannot understand the amount of regret players in the dressing room will have. The emotions that players in the dressing room go through, no one can experience that. You would have seen the reactions to the loss, but the [somber] atmosphere in the dressing room is something that won’t be experienced anywhere else,” Gautam Gambhir concluded. “Keep reasonable expectations, it’s a game of cricket. One team will win and one will lose. I had said before the final as well, irrespective of the result, they played like champions. This is the reality. Dominating 10 matches and winning them is no small thing. I know everyone wants to win the World Cup, but the other team has also come to play.”
