The heartbreak of November 19, 2023, continues to haunt. 28 months later, the Indian cricket team travels to Ahmedabad for another World Cup final. The format and opposition are different, but the trauma remains. The biggest gripe about India’s defeat to Australia wasn’t the flawless performance in the lead-up to the final. It wasn’t KL Rahul‘s knock or Travis Head’s luck. But the fact that the pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium was tinkered with.
Team India had outclassed every opponent in the round-robin stage, including Australia. They’d mauled New Zealand in the semi-final. Yet, for the final, the pitch was allegedly altered. Reports before and after the match suggested that higher-ups in the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) had ordered the change. Neither captain Rohit Sharma nor head coach Rahul Dravid had asked for it.
The ghosts of 2023
But it did happen. There was no green on the pitch. It was as dry as they come. The Indian batters struggled. The bowler created early chances, but Head’s stunning knock and dew helped Australia cruise. At the end, everyone was left fuming at the pitch change. Why was there a need to mess with the surface when India was winning, irrespective of conditions?
Now, some will say it is all hearsay. But former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif, who was one of the commentators for the event, had shared that the pitch’s colour changed. Grass was cut, and curators didn’t water the pitch. All signs suggest the surface was purposely made that way.
“I was there for 3 days. I saw the pitch change its colour. There was no watering of the pitch and no grass on the track. India wanted to give Australia a slow track. This is the truth, even if people don’t want to believe it,” Kaif told Lallantop in 2024. “The feeling was that Australia had Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, so India wanted to give a slow pitch, and that was our mistake. Many people say that curators do their own thing and we don’t influence it – that is rubbish. When you are moving around the pitch, you have to say just two lines – please don’t put water; just reduce the grass. This happens. That is the truth. And it should be done. You are playing at home. And we did it a little too much,” Kaif added.
Vikram Rathour, India’s batting coach from 2019 to 2024, clearly stated that the management didn’t make any requests regarding the pitch. But that doesn’t mean someone in the BCCI didn’t.
“I’ve heard this story that the pitch was different, which I don’t agree with at all. We played on similar wickets in the earlier matches as well. Matches against Australia, Pakistan, and England were also played on slow pitches. The Ahmedabad pitch, however, eased out,” Rathour had said in response.
No tinkering, please
3 years later. Team India returns to the same venue. New captain, Suryakumar Yadav, and new head coach, Gautam Gambhir. But the fear remains the same. Even in 2023, fans weren’t exactly scared of Australia. And although New Zealand is no pushover, they clearly haven’t been the best team in the T20 World Cup.
South Africa and England, both of whom were knocked out in the semifinals, performed better. The BlackCaps have made it through. It’s not like they pose no challenge. But it’s the pitch that decides it all. Time and again, we’ve seen Team India beat opposition on surfaces that remain safe. We saw that in Colombo against and Mumbai against England.
The fear isn’t that Team India playing at Ahmedabad means defeat, but rather that the pitch can change the outcome of the match. If the 2023 mistake happens again, by the BCCI or the team management, India can kiss the T20 World Cup trophy goodbye. The plan is to let ICC do the bidding and prepare as you have for every match. Focus on matchups, tactics, and selection. Let the pitch be.
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