Virat Kohli walked back to the pavilion after a crucial 63-ball 54 on Sunday afternoon in Ahmedabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium, having steadied the Indian ship that had inadvertently run into troubled waters during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Final against Australia. After a blistering start, the Men in Blue lost Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer in quick succession, before Kohli and KL Rahul struck a partnership that helped the hosts survive a period of great vulnerability. (Match Blog | Scorecard | Streaming | Key Battles | Preview)
While many had hoped to watch Kohli strike another ton in Ahmedabad, it wasn't to be. The Indian talisman gave away his wicket to Australian skipper Pat Cummins, whose rapid delivery bounced off Kohli's bat and hit the stumps, much to the batter's dismay.
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Still, Kohli walked back with his pride intact, having all but secured the individual honour of the tournament's highest run-scorer. In 11 innings, Kohli accumulated 765 runs - the most by any at a single ODI World Cup - at an average of 95.62, courtesy of three tons and a several other - often unbeaten - high scores. The batter maintained a strike rate of just over 90 across his 11 games, scoring almost a run a ball, and even managed to hit six half-centuries.
Furthermore, Kohli struck five 50+ scores and also crossed the threshold in both the semi-final and the final, thus becoming just the second individual to achieve that feat after Australia's Steve Smith. He also became the only batter to cross 750 runs over a single edition.
Earlier, India lost the toss but still got what they wanted, as Australia chose to bowl first in the titanic final of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Rohit Sharma's India are playing the same XI as their previous game against New Zealand, and the Pat Cummins-led Australians are also fielding the same team that they did in the semi-final against South Africa.
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Rohit said he would have batted first if he had won the toss, which means Cummins' decision went in his favour. Cummins said dew could be a factor later on, which prompted his decision to bowl. The toss plays a key role in the final between two goliaths of world cricket.
However, in the last 12 World Cups, team that has won the toss has gone to win four times and teams that have lost the toss, have won 8 times. Most notably, India's success in the 1983 and 2011 saw them lose the toss in the two World Cup finals which they went onto win.
