Catches win matches, they say in cricket. Indeed, when it comes to a stage as big as the final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, a great catch can not only lift a team's morale but also turn the match on its head. Travis Head did just that, producing a spectacular catch to dismiss a rampaging India captain Rohit Sharma in the 10th over of the India vs Australia summit meet at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19. (Match Blog | Streaming | Scorecard | Full Coverage)
Talismanic batting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was brought on to bowl in the powerplay, and the mercurial player responded with a wicket very soon. Rohit charged at Maxwell's flattish trajectory ball outside off stump and tried to loft it, but ended up miscuing the shot and the ball went high in the cover region.
Head sprinted backwards from cover, dove and held on over his shoulder. It was one of the best catches of the tournament and given the enormity of the moment, could turn out to be one of the great ones of all time. Rohit was batting on 47 off just 31 balls and looking dangerous, but had to depart. You can watch the video of the fantastic effort below.
Earlier, India lost the toss but still got what they wanted, as Australia chose to bowl first in the titanic final of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Rohit Sharma's India are playing the same XI as their previous game against New Zealand, and the Pat Cummins-led Australians are also fielding the same team that they did in the semi-final against South Africa.
Rohit said he would have batted first if he had won the toss, which means Cummins' decision went in his favour. Cummins said dew could be a factor later on, which prompted his decision to bowl. The toss plays a key role in the final between two goliaths of world cricket.
However, in the last 12 World Cups, team that has won the toss has gone to win four times and teams that have lost the toss, have won 8 times. Most notably, India's success in the 1983 and 2011 saw them lose the toss in the two World Cup finals which they went onto win.
Teams:
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
Australia (Playing XI): Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis(w), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins(c), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
