How Team India's 2023 WTC final defeat brings back 2003 World Cup memories?

Team India (Pic: AFP)

Team India's poor show at the ICC events continued as Australia won their maiden World Test Championship (WTC) title with a crushing 209-run victory on the fifth day of the summit clash on Sunday. This was India's second defeat in successive WTC finals after losing to New Zealand in 2021 in the inaugural edition.

Australian pacer Scott Boland produced a bowling spell of rare quality to get rid of Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja in the same over, effectively shutting the door on India, who were bowled out for 234 in their second innings on the final day at The Oval.

The Kangaroos were clearly the better team on all fronts while India had only themselves to blame for yet another loss in a global event. India's last ICC title came way back in 2013 and it was their second successive defeat in the WTC final, having gone down against New Zealand two years ago.

India lost seven wickets for the addition of 70 runs on the final day. While the non selection of R Aswhin was the big talking point on the opening day, India lost the title contest mainly due to the failure of their high-profile batting line-up. The top four comprising Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli failed to deliver in the high-stake game.

Also Read: Can India's 'Big Three' redeem themselves after seismic defeat during WTC final?

The forgettable memories from the 2003 World Cup final seemed like they came back to haunt fans. In 2003, Team India were at the receiving end of trolls over its decision to bowl first after winning the toss at the Wanderers stadium. Australia piled on a massive total of 359, which proved insurmountable for the Men in Blue back then. Similarly, to compound matters, India's fourth-innings collapse at the Oval, being bowled out for 234, mirrored their performance in the 2003 World Cup final. Back then, India could only muster a score of 234 while chasing Australia's total of 360, resulting in a devastating 125-run defeat.

Interestingly, India opted to phase out star spinners in both the 2003 World Cup final and the 2023 WTC Final. Anil Kumble was dropped from the squad back then, with Harbhajan Singh taking over. Likewise, there was no place for Ravichandran Ashwin in the high-profile WTC final, after India went ahead with a four-pace attack, giving the go-ahead to Jadeja instead.