"If they had gotten out while playing a big shot, you wouldn't have played 50 overs" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli and KL Rahul's cautious batting

Aakash Chopra believes Virat Kohli and KL Rahul had no option but to bat cautiously in the 2023 World Cup final between India and Australia.

The duo strung together a 67-run fourth-wicket partnership in 18.1 overs as the Men in Blue set the Aussies a 241-run target in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The most successful team in World Cup history won a record-extending sixth title by completing a six-wicket win with seven overs to spare.

Reflecting on India's middle-overs batting in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Kohli and Rahul played as per the demands of the situation. He explained (5:45):

"India were trapped in the spiral that they shouldn't make a mistake, that they should take the game deeper. They (Kohli and Rahul) weren't thinking of fours and sixes at all. If they had gotten out while playing a big shot, you wouldn't have played 50 overs as well. So obviously your hands were tied."

The former India opener pointed out that Kohli's untimely dismissal forced the hosts to send Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Suryakumar Yadav. He elaborated:

"They were trying to move forward with singles but then Kohli got out. He generally does not get out on 50-odd runs but he is also human. You sent Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) up the order because you were worried that too much time was left for Surya (Suryakumar Yadav)."

While observing that Jadeja's promotion did not yield the desired results, Chopra added that the extremely slow pitch made Suryakumar ineffective. He said:

"Jaddu also got out and the ball started reversing because it was dry and the pitch was absolutely dry. Then KL Rahul also got out. Mitchell Starc's ball was outstanding. Suryakumar Yadav kept trying but he didn't get the rhythm because there was no life in the pitch."

Rahul (66 off 107) and Kohli (54 off 63) were the only half-centurions in India's innings. While Jadeja scored nine runs off 22 deliveries, Suryakumar played 28 balls for his 18 runs.

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"Australia bowled beautifully" - Aakash Chopra

Pat Cummins' dismissal of Virat Kohli swayed the game Australia's way. [P/C: AP]

Aakash Chopra heaped praise on the Australian bowlers for executing their plans perfectly. He explained (5:20):

"Australia bowled beautifully. What a strategy they had, that they would bowl within the three stumps, slightly short because all three are tall fast bowlers, leave cover open, and have five players on the leg side."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added:

"The ball was dry and the pitch was even more drier. The ball was gripping on the pitch, so 'let's keep bowling cutters'. They had a clear plan and they followed it to the T. They were outstanding."

Mitchell Starc (3/55) was Australia's most successful bowler. However, Pat Cummins (2/34) potentially bowled the game-defining spell, with his dismissals of Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli disrupting India's plans.