People Were Saying That We Chose The Wrong Pitch..: Mohammed Shami Opens Up On Heartbreaking Defeat In World Cup Final

India fast-bowler Mohammed Shami has opened up on the team’s heartbreaking loss to Australia in the final of the 2023 World Cup. India were just one win away from clinching their third World Cup title. It would have been their first title since 2011.

India were the firm favourites to win the title-decider against Australia. The Men in Blue had won all of their ten games in the run-up to the final. The Rohit Sharma-led side had also inflicted a six-wicket defeat on Australia in the league stage. The likes of Sri Lanka, South Africa could not even touch the 100-run mark against them while Australia and Pakistan were bowled out for less than 200 runs.

In the semifinal too, India had thrashed New Zealand by 70 runs to storm into the final for the first time since 2011. However, Australia thoroughly outplayed India in the final and won the game by 6 wickets to clinch a record-extending sixth title. Australia bowled out India for a modest total of 240 runs before chasing down the total in just 43 overs.

Mohammed Shami on World Cup heartbreak:

Most of India’s players are yet to open up on the heartbreaking defeat but Mohammed Shami decided to do it during a recent event. Speaking during Agenda Aaj Tak, the 33-year-old began by discussing the pressure that players feel while representing the country.

He then addressed the talk regarding the pitch, which many consider a primary reason behind the defeat in the final. While the World Cup final is typically played on a fresh surface, the BCCI had decided to conduct it on a used pitch. Unfortunately, this ploy eventually backfired for the hosts.

“Everybody feels pressure. When you are playing for your country, there is a responsibility that you have. Everyone feels pressure, everyone needs to plan and execute. However, we don’t show how much pressure we are under. Yes, there are times when players don’t perform up to their best and it involves a lot of factors,” said Mohammed Shami.

“A lot of people were saying that we chose the wrong pitch. A few others said we should have scored more. Yes, a lot of people watch and make these claims. But when we get on the field, we are the ones who are dealing with situations.”

“From Day 1, we made it clear that if we win, we win together as a team, if we lose, we lose together as a team. When we reached the final, we had one mood in the dressing room: ‘We are in this together’. No one will be blamed. We were planning to give our best. You can call it a bad day, the luck was not our side,” he added.

Mohammed Shami starred with the ball for India in the World Cup. He finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker despite not playing the first four games. The right-arm pacer picked up 24 wickets in just 7 games with the help of three five-wicket hauls. He is likely to be seen in action again later this month when India take on South Africa in a two-match Test series, starting on December 26.