India vs Australia LIVE: Cricket World Cup final reaction after Travis Head century leads Aussies to victory
Australia stunned hosts India to win the Cricket World Cup final by six wickets in Ahmedabad
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Your support makes all the difference.Australia won a record-extending sixth World Cup title after opener Travis Head smashed a magnificent century to fashion their six-wicket victory in Sunday’s final against the tournament’s form team India.
Put into bat, India rode battling half-centuries by KL Rahul and Virat Kohli to post a below-par 240 all out in exactly 50 overs at a packed Narendra Modi Stadium.
Australia suffered a top-order wobble of their own but Head’s 137 off 120 balls saw them romp home with seven overs to spare in a match that never reached great heights.
Around 93,000 predominantly Indian fans sat mostly in deathly silence as the home team, who had won 10 matches in a row to make the final, succumbed to their first loss of the tournament
Relive all the match action and reaction below:
Travis Head breaks India hearts as Australia lift record sixth Cricket World Cup title
Travis Head broke Indian hearts with a superb century to guide Australia to their sixth men’s Cricket World Cup title with a six-wicket victory in Ahmedabad.
India had been flawless all tournament and cruised into the knockout stages having won every group game, but they faltered at the final hurdle, and Australia managed to calm the over 100,000-strong partisan home crowd and claim the title.
The stage had been set for Rohit Sharma’s India to emulate the feats of the 2011 team, who lifted the trophy on home soil to write their names into the history books, but 12 years later, they were unable to do enough to beat the Australians. As the post-match fireworks launched into sky, it was not for the team they had been intended for, and some of the crowd had already made their way out of the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Read Sonia Twigg’s match report as Australia claimed their sixth men’s World Cup title:
Travis Head breaks India hearts as Australia lift record sixth World Cup title
Head hit 137 to lead Australia to a six-wicket win over the hosts with seven overs to spare
Pat Cummins - ‘This is a year we will remember for a long, long time'
“We saved our best for last. The players stood up and were are pretty chuffed,” said the Australian captain as he accepted the World Cup trophy.
“The boys were fantastic. We’ve got an ageing squad but we are still throwing ourselves around. We were really chuffed with 240 because we were happy with anything under 300. We thought 300 might be tough but achievable on that wicket.
“My heart was spluttering [at 47-3] but Marnus [Labuschagne] had a cool head straightaway and Trav [Head] did what he does. He is really brave, puts the pressure back on the bowlers, and to do it on the biggest stage shows a lot of character.
“I couldn’t be happier for Trav. He is a legend and how fun is he to watch.
“You have to go win a World Cup; you can’t wait for it to happen. You have to be brave; take the game on and there was a big shift after the first two games, particularly with our batting. The openers went really aggressive and didn’t waver. There was total buy-in and it worked.
“This is a year we will remember for a long, long time.”
Rohit Sharma - ‘We tried everything we could but it wasn’t supposed to be'
“We were not good enough today but I am really proud of the way we have played since day one. Today was not our day. We tried everything we could but it wasn’t supposed to be,” the Indian captain conceded after today’s defeat.
“We would have liked 20 or 30 more runs. We spoke around 25/30 overs when Rahul and Kohli were batting that we needed to bat long but we kept losing wickets and couldn’t stitch another big partnership together and that is exactly what Australia did with their batting.
“The plan was to take wickets early with only 240 on the board and we did that but credit to Travis and Marnus in the middle for their partnership. It put us completely out of the game but we tried everything we could. The pitch got a lot better to bat on under the lights. I don’t want to give that as an excuse - we simply didn’t bat well enough to put enough runs on the board.”
Travis Head - ‘Not in a million years did I think that would happen'
“What an amazing day. I’m just thrilled to be a part of it,” Head, man-of-the-match after his superb century, said after the game. “Not in a million years did I think that would happen.
“It is a lot better than being sat on the couch at home! I’m very lucky that everything went well and I was able to get back and the support that the boys showed, I didn’t think this would happen. I was nervous in the first 20 balls but Marnus [Labuschagne] batted brilliantly and it was great to bat with him - he soaked up all the pressure - and it was an amazing partnership.
“I felt the way that Mitch Marsh came on and took the game on, he set the tone. We knew the wicket might get tough but it turned out to be a great decision to bowl first because the pitch did get better as the day went on. It took a bit of spin but what we did at the toss paid dividends. Nice to be a part of it and play a role in that. It will be a good few days now.”
Mitchell Starc - ‘I don’t think you could write a script to top the winter that we’ve had’
“Pat Cummins was phenomenal, he has been all tournament with his decision-making, his leadership and with the ball. He’s been phenomenal for us and it’s capped off an amazing eight weeks for this group. I haven’t got any words left,” the Aussie quick said after the game.
“Between Cummins and the coaching staff and all the players, it’s been an incredible winter. I don’t think you could write a script to top the winter that we’ve had. To win a World Cup in India has been tough but it’s been an enjoyable and successful one.”
Marnus Labuschagne - 'It’s the best achievement I have been part of’
“What we have achieved today is unbelievable, it’s the best achievement I have been part of,” the Aussie batter reflected after the game.
“India have been the team of the tournament - they’ve played unbelievable - but you knew if we played our best cricket we had a chance. Our bowlers was sensational and then Travis [Head] was sensational. It was great to be a part of it with him
“I’m a man of faith and believe in god but the way everything has happened is unbelievable to me. I’m lost for words. The amount of times I thought I was done - even last night - I’m thankful to the coaches for sticking with me. Three months ago in South Africa, I wasn’t even in the one-day team so to play 19 games straight from there is a miracle. I have to give thanks to God for that.”
Jonathan Trott on Afghanistan’s World Cup: ‘I was doing everything apart from driving the bus’
This has hardly been a World Cup for the romantics.
The presence of India and Australia – two of the three countries who effectively run the global game – in today’s final, does little to warm the heart. Which is why Afghanistan’s heroics in the never-ending group phase of the tournament have left an indelible mark.
The country’s performances have also helped to elevate the reputation of Jonathan Trott, the former England batter who as head coach piloted the minnows’ journey from also-rans to the brink of the semi-finals.
South African-born Trott is now back in Birmingham after five months of an unrelenting schedule that has both tested Afghanistan and illustrated how far the country has come against almost impossible odds. And as England pick over the carcass of a World Cup campaign that could hardly have gone worse, Trott is still, improbably, ruing what might have been.
Read The Independent’s exclusive interview with Jonathan Trott below:
Jonathan Trott on Afghanistan’s World Cup: ‘I did everything but drive the bus’
Interview: The former England batter reveals the struggles Afghanistan face despite impressing at the Cricket World Cup
A look at the data behind Virat Kohli’s record 50 ODI centuries
Virat Kohli has become the first batter to score 50 ODI centuries.
The India star scored his landmark ton in the World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand, with his compatriot and previous record holder Sachin Tendulkar watching in the stands.
Kohli had equalled Tendulkar’s 49 one-day hundreds just 10 days earlier in a group-stage victory against South Africa.
The PA news agency examines the data behind his remarkable achievement.
A look at the data behind Virat Kohli’s record 50 ODI centuries
The India star scored his landmark ton in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand.
Pitch invader with ‘Free Palestine’ T-shirt runs up to Virat Kohli during India vs Australia World Cup final
A pitch invader wearing a shirt with messages supporting Palestine breached security on Sunday at the cricket venue of the India versus Australia ICC World Cup 2023 final match in India’s Ahmedabad.
The spectator entered the field reportedly to meet Virat Kohli and even got close enough to put his arm around India’s star cricketer before being arrested by the police, according to reports.
The match at the Narendra Modi stadium in the western state of Gujarat was interrupted for a few minutes in the 14th over of Indian innings as the man was seen running up to Kohli wearing a white T-shirt, a face mask with Palestinian flag print, and red trousers.
Man with ‘Free Palestine’ T-shirt invades field during Cricket World Cup final
Man enters field reportedly to meet Kohli and even gets close enough to put his arm around India’s star cricketer
Travis Head breaks India hearts as Australia lift record sixth Cricket World Cup title
Travis Head broke Indian hearts with a superb century to guide Australia to their sixth men’s Cricket World Cup title with a six-wicket victory in Ahmedabad.
India had been flawless all tournament and cruised into the knockout stages having won every group game, but they faltered at the final hurdle, and Australia managed to calm the over 100,000-strong partisan home crowd and claim the title.
The stage had been set for Rohit Sharma’s India to emulate the feats of the 2011 team, who lifted the trophy on home soil to write their names into the history books, but 12 years later, they were unable to do enough to beat the Australians. As the post-match fireworks launched into sky, it was not for the team they had been intended for, and some of the crowd had already made their way out of the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Read Sonia Twigg’s match report as Australia claimed their sixth men’s World Cup title:
Travis Head breaks India hearts as Australia lift record sixth World Cup title
Head hit 137 to lead Australia to a sixth men’s Cricket World Cup trophy
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