Allan Border has hailed Pat Cummins’ call to bowl in the final as one of the best decisions he has ever seen made by a captain.
Cummins made a decision that would ultimately be hailed as a masterstroke. Upon winning the toss at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Cummins chose to bowl first, a move that surprised many and was considered a bold gamble given the high stakes of the match.
The rationale behind Cummins’ decision was multifaceted. The pitch at Ahmedabad was expected to play slow and assist spinners, which could have posed a significant challenge for the Australian batters. However, Cummins anticipated that the pitch might become easier to bat on as the game progressed into the evening, potentially neutralizing the Indian spin attack with the onset of dew. This strategic foresight was based on recent history at the venue, which suggested that chasing targets had been successful.
The decision to bowl first proved to be a tactical triumph. Australia’s formidable trio of fast bowlers—Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc—executed their plans flawlessly, utilizing cutters and bouncers effectively on the slow surface. Cummins himself delivered a standout performance, claiming vital wickets, including that of Virat Kohli, who was the tournament’s leading run-scorer, and Shreyas Iyer. His figures of 2/34 from 10 overs were instrumental in restricting India to a modest total of 240 runs.
Australia would end up winning the match by six wickets to lift their sixth World Cup title.
Speaking to Fox Sports, Border praised the Aussie skipper for the decision to bowl first. The cricket legend also went on to reveal his initial reaction to the call and felt Cummins had lost the plot and it wasn’t the right decision.
“Pat Cummins’ “bowl first’’ call in the World Cup final was one of the bravest decisions I have seen from a cricket captain. I must be honest, when I heard Pat say “we will bowl’’ I thought “oh no, Patrick, you have lost the plot, you blokes. When Rohit Sharma was going hard early, I thought “what are we doing?’ Those first half a dozen to 10 overs I was thinking, ‘Oh my god, The decision to bowl first has just backfired,” said Border.
