Travis Head’s excellent century carried Australia to World Cup glory for the sixth time as they downed all-conquering India to silence over 110,000 residence followers in Ahmedabad.
The hosts brushed apart all-comers – together with Australia of their opening group sport – as they marched to the ultimate with a 100 per cent report, however got here up brief in a six-wicket loss in entrance of an infinite however more and more morose crowd on the Narendra Modi Stadium.
They posted a modest 240 all out after being despatched in on a sluggish floor – only one run fewer than New Zealand and England tied with within the Lord’s showpiece 4 years in the past – earlier than watching Head take the sport away from them with a masterful 137 from 120 balls.
Head performed with aggression, creativeness and self-belief on a worn pitch that left nearly each different batter fumbling for the fluency he confirmed.
The 29-year-old was not even within the nation when the marketing campaign started, becoming a member of up late on account of a fractured left hand that sidelined him for Australia’s first 4 matches, however the selectors’ religion paid off lavishly after he adopted up his player-of-the-match effort within the semi-final towards South Africa with one thing even higher.
Watching from the opposite finish because the rating slipped to 47 for 3, he slugged 4 sixes and 15 fours as he dominated a 192-run stand with Marnus Labuschagne (58 not out).
Head deserved to hold his bat however fell with two runs wanted, caught within the deep seeking to finish it in type, permitting new man Glenn Maxwell to hit the profitable runs.
That confirmed one other chapter in Australia’s proud story as an ODI facet, becoming a member of the groups of 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015 in lifting the trophy and rounding off a marquee yr that has seen them win the World Take a look at Championship, additionally towards India, and retain the Ashes.
Victorious captain Pat Cummins known as appropriately on the toss by sending the hosts in and took an important haul of two for 34, whereas Mitchell Starc claimed three for 55 as he set the tone for a superb bowling effort.
The preliminary skirmishes had been suitably thrilling, India hammering 80 off the primary 10 overs whereas additionally dropping each openers.
Shubman Gill was first to go, mis-hitting a pull off Starc, however India captain Rohit Sharma confirmed his intent by charging Josh Hazlewood in simply the second over of the day.
He unloaded a handful of fierce blows, with three sixes in his fast 47, however perished going for one massive hit too many off Maxwell’s first over. He provided a tricky catch arcing over cowl, however Head saved an eagle eye on it to begin his memorable day.
Cummins chipped away one other when Shreyas Iyer was lbw earlier than a painstaking stand of 67 between Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Their time collectively was powerful going, with a solitary boundary in 109 deliveries as Australia exerted admirable management of overseas circumstances.
Each batters made gritty half-centuries – match top-scorer Kohli doing so for the ninth time in 11 knocks on the World Cup – however neither transformed their platform. Kohli dragged Cummins again into his stumps looking for width on 54, and Rahul nicked Starc behind for 66 because the ball started to reverse.
That was the primary of 5 wickets for 37 within the closing phases, India all out courtesy of a run out from the final ball of the innings.
David Warner nicked the primary ball of the chase between first and second slip for 4, however India picked as much as put themselves proper within the hunt.
Warner nicked Mohammed Shami behind chasing a ball he had no enterprise enjoying, Mitch Marsh departed with comparable carelessness towards Jasprit Bumrah and linchpin Steve Smith accepted an lbw determination that will have been overturned by DRS.
India, and their supporters, had been pumped up however discovered Head unfazed. With a strong begin behind him he took the bull by the horns, slog-sweeping Kuldeep Yadav for six within the sixteenth over and making regular inroads into the slender goal.
He had a solution for the whole lot, making mild of Shami’s return to the assault by smashing his loosener again down the bottom for a one-bounce 4 and peeling off muscular pulls when the seamers went brief.
With Labuschagne content material to play the supporting position, Head tucked in. He took the goal beneath 100 by whipping Shami behind sq. and underneath 50 with a mighty six off Ravindra Jadeja.
His century, the third by an Australian in a World Cup closing after Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, got here off a uncommon misjudgement as he nearly ran himself out dashing a single.
By then the job was all however achieved, Head denied the tournament-winning second when he picked out Gill on the ropes, however rightly mobbed by his team-mates as they basked within the second.
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