Cricket greats cop brutal backlash over claim about Australia's World Cup victory

Australia's historic Cricket World Cup victory has not gone down well with Indian greats and pundits, who have thrown up every excuse in the book as to why they failed to win the tournament. Australia's upset win over India in Monday morning’s final in Ahmedabad has been blamed on the condition of the wicket and the luck of Australia winning the toss.

Spearheading the excuses from the Indian cohort is former Indian Test batter Sanjay Manjrekar, who said the Indians were beaten by the conditions, neglecting the fact that the Australian side was the better team on the day. “The pitch was tacky, a bit rough on the top and likely to turn from ball one, so Australia wasn’t really taking a huge risk by going against the cliché of putting runs on the board in the big game,” he wrote for The Hindustan Times.

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“They knew their pacers would get some lateral movement in the afternoon, plus the sandpaper-like top meant that reverse swing could come into play with Mitchell Starc as one of the best exponents of it in the world in their side; also, the slower balls were going to be a great option to go to if nothing else worked.

“It’s not like it’s difficult bowling first, that you’ll get nothing from that afternoon pitch - you get plenty. We’ve seen that the ball hasn’t come onto the bat in the afternoon,” Manjrekar said. "If dew comes in later, batting was bound to get easier, the ball wasn’t going to turn as much, plus the slower ball as a lifesaver for the seamer when nothing works was not going to be an option. It was actually a ‘win-win’ scenario for the team bowling first. After that it was all about execution.

"To put it simply, the 10/10 India was beaten by the conditions first”. Social media was quick to slam his biased remarks and excuses, saying the fact is Australia was the better team on the day.

Manjrekar was far from the only one to blame a mix of the wicket and the coin toss with Hindustan Times cricket editor Ashish Magotra writing: “No match, let alone a big final, should be decided on the spin of a coin". “The luck factor exists in every sport but both teams usually play on an even field,” he wrote.

"Australia were the better team on the day, no doubt, but whoever was responsible (for the itch) loaded the dice and made it a lottery – one in which India could not get the right numbers. Trying to get a certain kind of pitch also conveys the fear of losing — not a message to send out before a big final.

“If India want to be the best in the world, the focus on the nature of pitch must stop. Trying to manipulate the conditions reveals a weakness, not a strength. On Sunday, at a crucial juncture, it played a part in stopping a team that had looked pretty much unstoppable through most of the tournament.”

Ponting says pitch manipulation had Aussie side concerned

The pre-match pitch dramas took a twist when Cummins won the toss and elected to bowl first, with earlier worries about India manipulating the pitch quickly eased. Post-match legendary Aussie captain, Ricky Ponting, said Australia managed to put their heads down and focus on playing the best cricket, which ultimately won them the World Cup.

“Honestly, talking to some of the guys this morning they were pretty worried about this surface. And I said to them ‘Don’t worry about the surface’,” Ponting said.

“A cricket pitch is 22 yards long, just go out and play your best game and you’ll win - and they’ve been able to do that today. Very, very subcontinental conditions. A wicket preparation that’s probably ended up backfiring on India, to be totally fair. It’s one thing to see those conditions, it’s another thing to play in them. And Australia have not put a foot wrong again in a World Cup final. Outstanding.”

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif said regardless of the result India deserved to win the World Cup. “Congratulations to Australia but I am not ready to accept that the best team won the World Cup,” Kaif said.

“This Indian team has been the best side. They are the best team on paper. They would win so many times playing against the same Australian team, even though they lost today. It was one of those bad day, this happens sometimes.”

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