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Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif said that the ODI World Cup final pitch at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium suited the host Indian team.

The curators of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also made serious allegations of slowing down the pitch to suit the Indian team.

On November 19, India suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Australia on the pitch in Ahmedabad. In the final, there was a batting collapse of the Indian team. The team lost the match by 6 wickets. India lost the toss and scored only 240 runs. Australia overcame this in 43 overs on the back of Travis Head’s smashing century.

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Kaif also argued that the Indian team was confused by Pat Cummins’ strategy.

Kaifin’s serious revelations come in the context of the ongoing controversy over the removal of ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkins from the ODI World Cup just before the final.

“I was there for three days. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid inspected the pitch for 3 days before the final. They stood near the pitch for an hour every day. I saw the color of the pitch change. No water was poured. There was no grass on the pitch track. India wanted to give Australia a slow track. People had to believe it. This is the truth even if you don’t want to, Kaif told India Today Group channel Lalantop.

“When India started Australia’s Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, they wanted to give them a slow pitch and that was the wrong decision.

Many people say that curators do their thing and we don’t interfere, which is not true. You are playing at home. Walking around the pitch you could have said no water and less grass. Kaif added that it should be done.

Kaif also said that the Australian team learned from their loss against India in the group match and put that knowledge to good use. That’s why they won the toss and chose to bowl first.

During the ODI World Cup, the BCCI did not comment on the sacking of ICC pitch consultant Atkinson. However, PTI quoted a BCCI official as trying to squelch the controversy by saying that Atkinson’s contract has ended.

“Atkinson’s assignment is over and he has gone back. Don’t try to create unnecessary controversy. There is no requirement for ICC’s pitch consultant to be present before the final,” BCCI sources told PTI.

Atkinson was at loggerheads with the BCCI after he accused the hosts of changing the pitch for the semi-final between India and New Zealand. But the ICC later clarified that there is no obstacle to holding the knockout matches on the new track.

2024-03-17 15:33:45

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