SRH vs LSG: India's heartbreaking World Cup final loss revisited by Pat Cummins as Australia captain drops colossal remark

Australian skipper Pat Cummins rubbed salt on the wounds of the Indian cricket team and fans by recalling the Kangaroos’ one-sided win in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final at the packed Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19, 2023.

Cummins, who is currently captaining the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the ongoing IPL 2024, admitted that the history of India versus Australia matches, especially in the ICC events, boosted their confidence to break millions of hearts by crushing the Men in Blue in the summit clash.

Notably, after a flawless journey to the ODI World Cup 2024 final under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, the Indian cricket team suffered a devastating blow in the title clash against Australia.

India’s remarkable journey didn't have perfect ending at ODI World Cup 2023

India’s remarkable journey, which saw them defeat formidable opponents like Australia, Pakistan, and New Zealand in the World Cup 2024, came to a heartbreaking end in the final showdown in Ahmedabad.

The Men in Blue showcased unmatched skill and determination, with the bowlers delivering stellar performances and stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli dominating the batting charts. With 10 back-to-back victories under their belt, Team India looked unstoppable going into the final.

However, fate had a different plan, as the Australian cricket team crushed India by six wickets in the final to clinch their sixth ODI World Cup, leaving the entire nation and team heartbroken and shattering their dreams of lifting the coveted trophy in front of their home crowd.

The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for Indian cricket fans, and now Cummins said that Australia had beaten India on numerous occasions, which instilled confidence in his team to beat the red-hot form of India in the final. He also termed their ODI World Cup 2023 campaign funny.

There was definitely a belief to beat India in the final: Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins was quoted as saying by the 'Humans of Bombay': “There was definitely a belief. We did feel 50-50, but they were running hot. They played an amazing tournament but are a side we have beaten before… a lot. They beat us in Round one, but we kind of thought if we have our day and play really well, we've got the guys in the team to do it.”

The Australian skipper added, “It's a bit funny. Going into the tournament, we hadn't played much cricket together as an ODI team. There was a lot of experience; a lot of the guys had played together in the T20 World Cup the previous year or Test cricket together, but the ODI team hadn't really come together until the start of the tournament. We had a few injuries as well. So, I think there was always a bit of confidence with the players we had.”

Cummins also reflected on their journey, saying they just took action instead of discussing strategies. He admitted that Australia had a slow start but credited individual efforts for pulling them out of tough situations in various matches at the ODI World Cup 2023.

The ICC Test Championship-winning skipper said that as Australia began winning games, their momentum increased and propelled them towards the semi-finals, which only boosted their confidence to win the final against India.

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