Roger Binny, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), reflected on India’s defeat to Australia in the 2023 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. On Day 5 (June 11) of the one-off Test at The Oval in London, the Rohit Sharma-led side suffered a devastating 209-run defeat. Notably, this was India’s second consecutive WTC final defeat.
Australia scored a colossal 469 in their first inning after being asked to bat first, thanks to Travis Head’s (163 off 174) and Steve Smith’s (121 off 269) magnificent centuries. In the meantime, Mohammed Siraj took four wickets for India, surpassing the milestone of 50 wickets in the longest format of the game.
Ajinkya Rahane’s (89 off 129) crucial knock limited India to just 296 runs in their first inning. On Saturday, June 10, Australia declared their second inning at 270/8. India was dismissed for 234 on the final day while pursuing a target of 444 runs.
Roger Binny, commenting on India’s loss, stated that Rohit and company lost the match on the first day. In addition, he mentioned Head and Smith’s runs, which turned the game around. If that partnership had not existed, the game would have been entirely even, according to him.
“We already lost the battle on the first day. Australia’s impressive partnership was largely responsible for turning the tide in this contest. Aside from that, the game was even. Binny was quoted by the Hindustan Times as saying, “If you remove that partnership, the game is completely even.”
The former cricketer then urged team India to remain optimistic and concentrate on the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, which will be contested in India between October and November of this year.
“We have something greater coming up in the future, so we must keep our spirits up and perform well in the World Cup, which is being played at home. Therefore, this is vital,” he continued.
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