Australia beat India to win record 7th Cricket world cup title

Narendra Modi stadium, 

Sunday, 19 November, 2023 

McCreadie Andias 

Australia clinched a record 7th Cricket world cup title defeating Unbeaten India on home turf with a six - Wicket victory at the 137,000 seater Narendra Modi stadium on Sunday. 

India looked more dominant throughout the tournament and were best poised to bag the title with an enormous crown backing the home boys but seemed not enough to drag down Australia. 

The low scoring final on the back of Travis Head’s 137 with India beating Australia in early three wickets .Head combined with Marnus Labuschagne (58 not out ) in a 192-run partnership to chase down the target of 241.

It brought a trophy to captain Pat Cummins and his team, who were not deemed favourites for when the tournament began more than six weeks ago.

Australia was wobbling on 47-3 after seven overs but Head and Labuschagne dug in to help their country regain its status as the king of one-day international cricket, adding to its 50-over world titles in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015.

Head was dismissed off what proved to be the next-to-last ball of the match, caught in the deep while attempting to hit a title-clinching boundary. In came Glenn Maxwell and he ran two off his first ball, securing a victory that prompted fireworks above the world’s largest cricket venue.

The Indians won all 10 of their matches before the final and were seeking a third trophy in their fourth appearance in a title match that brought a country of 1.4 billion people to a virtual standstill. They were outplayed in every department by Australia, though, restricted to 240 all out on a slow pitch after losing the toss with only Virat Kohli (54) and Lokesh Rahul (66) making half-centuries.

Head became only the fifth player to score a century in a men’s World Cup final – and third Australian after Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist – and delivered a significant moment in India’s innings when taking a diving catch running back from cover to remove captain Rohit Sharma (47).

Australia finished the tournament with a run of nine straight wins, after starting with back-to-back defeats to India and South Africa.

Australia last won the title at home in 2015. Their seventh title widens the gap with the rest of the title-winning countries, including India, who have two, along with the West Indies.

Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England have each won the title once.