“The pitch they chose was a blunder” - Sanjay Manjrekar slams Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid for pitch blunder in ODI World Cup 2023 final vs Australia

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has stated that the pitch opted by Team India for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Final against Australia was a blunder, being critical of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid for controlling off-field stuff a little too much.

Notably, on November 19, 2023, India suffered a defeat to Australia in the grand finale of the ICC ODI World Cup after staying unbeaten throughout the tournament. While India could post only 240 runs on a slow Ahmedabad surface, Australia chased down the total in 43 overs with six wickets in hand.

While speaking on 'Rise of Champions' on JioHotstar, Manjrekar termed the Indian World Cup 2023 team as the best in the world. However, he slammed the team management’s decision to go with a slow surface, which turned out to be a bad decision for batters like Suryakumar Yadav.

"I was very proud of that Indian team that played in the 2023 ODI World Cup because it looked like the best team in the world. India, with Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid, tried to control things off the field a little too much. The pitch they chose was a blunder. We saw that batters like Suryakumar Yadav are not the same when the pace is taken off on a slow pitch," Manjrekar told JioHotstar.

Notably, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma ended the tournament as the second-highest run-getter, with 597 runs in 11 innings at an average of 54.27 and an excellent strike rate of 125.94, including a century and three half-centuries. 

Later, India went on to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 title and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 silverware. The focus now shifts to T20I action, with the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 starting on February 7 with India playing the USA in their opening clash. They are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA.

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