AHMEDABAD (Web Desk) – Australia outclassed India in the final of the World Cup 2023 to win the trophy for the sixth time at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Not only the glittery trophy, the Aussies also earned US$4 million. India, the runners-up, received US$2 million, while the losing semi-finalists got $800,000 each from the total prize pot of US$10 million.
Celebrations in the Aussie camp! #CWC23 #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/VTMgCUrb1f
— ICC (@ICC) November 19, 2023Indian prime minister Narendra Modi presented the trophy to the Australian captain. The Aussies lifted the cup and celebrated their win in style.
Speaking at the prize-distribution ceremony, Indian captain Rohit Sharma said, “I mean the result hasn't gone our way and we know that we were not good enough on the day. But proud of the team. It wasn't supposed to be. Honestly, 20-30 runs would've been good. I thought when KL and Virat were batting, we were looking at 270-280 at that point and we kept losing wickets. Australia stitched a big partnership after losing three wickets. With 240 on the board, we wanted early wickets but credit to Travis Head and Marnus. They put us completely out of the game and I thought the wicket got better to bat under lights. I mean we knew under lights, it would be better but don't want to give that as an excuse. We didn't bat well enough, but credit to those two guys in the middle for stitching that big partnership.”
Winning captain Pat Cummins said, “I think we saved our best for the last. A couple of big-match players stepped up and chuffed. Today we thought it was a good night to chase and thought it would be easier to chase. The pitch was slower than I thought and didn't particularly spin and we bowled tight lines. On a slow wicket with variable bounce, we had a couple of catchers on the leg side and made a couple of decisions. Desperate for sure. The boys were fantastic against South Africa. We have an ageing side but everyone throws themselves around.
“Chuffed with keeping them to 240 - anything under 300 really. I was one of those blokes with the hearts fluttering but Head takes the game on, Marnus... I think the selectors backed him even when he had a broken hand. It's a big risk and it paid off. How fun is he to watch? It was awesome to play and the passion in India is unrivaled. You just got to go and win a World Cup. You can't wait for it. It was a shift after two games. The openers were really aggressive and it was a total buy-in from everyone. We will remember this year for a long, long time. This pips it all.”