Mohammed Kaif Critiques India’s Approach to Pitch Preparation in 2023 ODI WC Final Loss

March 17, 2024 0 1149

Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif suggested that India’s excessive focus on preparing the pitch backfired in the 2023 ODI WC final loss, allowing Aussie bowler Cummins to capitalize on his experience.

Mohammed Kaif has voiced his belief that India’s defeat in the 2023 World Cup finals was largely due to their excessive focus on altering the pitch to negate the strengths of the Australian fast bowlers. In an interview with The Lallantop, Kaif shared insights into the preparation for the crucial match, highlighting his three-day presence at the venue where he observed the gradual change in the pitch’s color from blue to yellow, symbolizing its slow and dry nature.

“I was there for three days before the match, we did a lot of live shows. Rohit Sharma came in the evening, and so did Rahul Dravid. They roamed around the pitch, they stood for about an hour and were done. This went on for three days and I saw the color of the track change. The shirt I am wearing is blue but after three days it became yellow the color of the pitch changed that much. There was no watering, no grass and the pitch was slow then, this is the truth even if the people don’t believe me,” Kaif said.

“You can always ask the ground staff to put more water or to cut the grass. It happens and they should do this since it is a home game,” he added.

Kaif also noted Cummins’ strategic adjustment from their first match in Chennai, where the slow track favored India’s win after batting first. Learning from this, Cummins opted to bat first in the finals, a tactic Kaif deemed crucial.

Reflecting on India’s initial win in Chennai, powered by Kohli and Rahul’s batting, Kaif suggested that on a standard pitch, India could have capitalized on Shami’s form to both score and defend.

“Had it been a normal flat pitch, the form Shami was in, we could have made the runs and defended it. But I feel that by focusing too much on doctoring the pitch, we got trapped,” he concluded.