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In a significant and contentious statement, India’s veteran cricketer Mohammed Kaif has stirred up a huge controversy by alleging that Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid doctored the pitch for the ODI World Cup 2023 Final. Kaif even attributed it as the reason for India’s heartbreaking loss in the summit clash, adding more fuel to the fire.
India’s undefeated streak and final loss against Australia
It’s important to highlight that India had a stellar campaign throughout the ODI World Cup 2023. The home team displayed exceptional skill, remaining undefeated on their path to the final. However, the slow pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium during the summit clash proved detrimental to India’s performance, resulting in a disappointing display in both batting and bowling, culminating in their defeat to Australia in the ultimate championship battle.
Mohammed Kaif’s bold claim about doctored pitch
In a recent interview with The Lallantop, Kaif revealed his observations from the days leading up to the final showdown. As someone who was part of the live coverage during the tournament, Kaif’s insights carried weight. He recounted seeing both Rohit and Dravid spending significant time inspecting the pitch in the days preceding the final.
According to Kaif, t💞he lack of watering, absence of grass, and the slow nature of the pitch were clear indicators of deliberate tampering. He furt🌄her even went on to claim that had it been a normal pitch the India definitely would have won the match.
“I was there for three days before the match, we did a lot of live shows. Rohit Sharma came in the evening, and so did Rahul Dravid. They roamed around the pitch, they stood for about an hour and were done. This went on for three days and I saw the colour of the track change,” said Kaif.
“There was no watering, no grass and the pitch was slow then, this is the truth even if the people don’t believe me. You can always ask the ground staff to put more water or to cut the grass. It happens and they should do this since it is a home game. Had it been a normal flat pitch, the form Shami was in, we could have made the runs and defended it. But I feel that by focusing too much on doctoring the pitch, we got trapped,” he added.
Also READ: Aaron Finch identifies a key challenge for Ro🏅hit Sharma as the non-skipper of Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024
Fans divided over Kaif’s allegations against Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid
Kaif’s allegations sparked a flurry of reactions from fans and experts alike. Divisions ran deep, with some dismissing his claims as baseless and others commending him for his courage to speak out. While there were those who argued that focusing on pitch conditions was simply an excuse for India’s defeat and that the team was outplayed fair and square, others believed that Kaif’s revelations shed light on potential malpractices within the game.
Here’s how netizens reacted:
So Kaif is basically claiming that Rohit & Dravid had the Ahmedabad pitch doctored prior to the ODI World Cup final, in an attempt to negate Australia's pace battery via a sluggish surface.
Whethe�♓�r true or not, India were favourites to win on any sort of track, and that is that.
— 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧 (@jixo789)
Talking about World Cup loss right now by Kaif makes no sense.
Why our own former players still want to talk about World Cup loss with pitches explanation.
It's funny.
Right now bringing pitch issue is useless— Sourav Chaudhury (@SouravChaudhur5)
Atleast kaif said it , huge respect for kaif
— Vishal (@Fanpointofviews)
These people are still not ready to 𒉰accept that Australia playeℱd better and deserved to win WC
— ABHIJIT NAIR 🏏🇦🇺 (@Rahul_bill)
Th🌠e desperat🐻ion to win a wc under his captaincy lost us the final!
— P.💍🕉️ (@PrajaktaSharma8)
It's important to raise these questions because we don't want these things to happen in future. The team staff, the curators should know the negative impacts of it. So it doesn't happen in future. Be it an important test series or any ICC T20/ ODI WC.
— Wasif Khan (@wasifCan)
India thought if we win toss we will bowl….if pat Cummins win toss he will choose bat(because of final)….but Cummins turned the table ….and choose bowl first….!!! Australians have more sense of cricket than….skills of cricket…
— VK 18 (@officesk1996)
Its heartbreaking to see
— Berlin (@realwitcher_)
Horribly backfired and gifted aussies the trophy who are so weak. The doctored tricky pitches will always put aussies in the equation. Be it Pune 2017, Indore 2023 or WC finals. Don't offer them such surfaces 🤦🤦
— Mano (@south235)
We lost the final, like usual, in our mind and trying to ensuring it goes as per script instead of accepting that you can’t predict a ga🙈me and you have to give your best and hope that your best is good enough on the day.
— K FPL Novice (@KFPLNovice1)
