“Dravid reflects on close shaves against gritty Head in final”
Former Indian coach Rahul Dravid recently looked back at the 2023 ODI World Cup final loss against Australia. While addressing a sports awards event, he acknowledged how narrowly they missed dismissals of Australia's Travis Head throughout the innings.
Head's fighting hundred had powered Australia to a Six wicket win over India in the summit clash held in Ahmedabad. Reflecting on the tight final, Dravid said “Sometimes luck evades you despite your best efforts. We tested Travis Head's skills testing deliveries but just couldn't find the edge”.
By his own admission, the talented opening batter escaped India's radar an astonishing 15 times during his match-winning knock. However, the coach was quick to underline the need to stick to plans rather than dwell on near misses. “You have to keep executing your game strategy. I've analyzed our campaign and believe we did almost everything right except luck wasn't on our side that day”, added Dravid.
Briefly put, India managed a middling total of 240 after electing to bat first. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli contributed useful half-centuries. In response, Australia rode on an exemplary 192-run fourth wicket stand between Head (137*) and Marnus Labuschagne (58*) to cruise past the target with six wickets in hand. Head was named player of the match for shielding his team through to victory.
Dravid's reflections offer valuable lessons on maintaining composure when closely missing out on crucial breakthroughs in high octane finals. India will hope to go one better next time around with a little fortune favoring their perseverance.
