Top order vs bowling attack - who deserves more blame for India's WTC final loss?

Team India suffered yet another loss in an ICC final, going down to Australia by 209 runs in the World Test Championship (WTC) summit clash, which concluded at The Oval on Sunday. The defeat means India’s wait for an ICC title continues, having won their last in the form of the Champions Trophy in 2013.

Although Australia went into the WTC final as favorites, India were expected to give them a tough fight. Hopes were raised when Rohit Sharma won the toss and put Australia into bat under overcast conditions. However, the toss was among the handful of things that went right for India in the WTC final.

Australia batted brilliantly and posted 469 on the board in their first innings. Their bowlers then did a commendable job to hold India to 296. After the Aussies set the Indians a huge target of 444, Rohit Sharma and Co. folded up for a disappointing 234.

Both India’s batting and bowling failed to deliver the goods in the WTC final. In this feature, we analyze which department’s underperformance hurt India in a bigger way.

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Bowlers concede the advantage of winning the toss

Umesh Yadav was poor in the first innings. (Pic: Getty Images)

India’s pace bowlers were expected to strike early blows after Rohit won the toss and fielded first under helpful conditions. Mohammed Siraj dismissed Usman Khawaja with a beauty for a duck. However, it was all Australia after that as India failed to make further inroads.

David Warner (43) and Marnus Labuschagne (26) steadied the innings, batting out the first tough hour. Australia went to lunch on Day 1 at 73/2, which was a big boost for them, having lost the toss.

Mohammed Shami provided India hope by dismissing Labuschagne early in the second session, but contrasting tons by Travis Head (163 off 174) and Steven Smith (121 off 268) put Australia firmly on top.

India’s bowlers were guilty of bowling too short and not doing enough to make the batters play on Day 1 when there was help on offer and had to pay a heavy price for the same.

Once Australia had reached 327/3 by stumps on Day 1, they were firmly in control of proceedings. Although India did reasonably well to keep the Aussies to under 500 courtesy of a four-wicket haul from Siraj, it was a case of too little too late. India were totally on the back foot once they allowed Australia to post 469 after winning the toss.

In the second innings as well, India’s bowlers were inconsistent. They reduced Australia to 167/6, but could not run through the lower order. Alex Carey (66*) and Mitchell Starc (41) added 93 for the seventh wicket to lift Australia.

In the end, the Aussies set India a massive target of 444. Had the bowlers dislodged the lower order cheaply, India would have been chasing a much lower target and would have gone into their second inning with better confidence.

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Another no-show from India’s famed batting line-up

Cheteshwar Pujara failed in both innings. (Pic: Getty Images)

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Indian skipper Rohit admitted that the experienced batters let the team down and opined it probably cost them the game.

He had a fair point and was one of the culprits himself. Rohit played poor shots in both innings to be dismissed for 15 and 43, respectively.

India’s tentativeness with the bat came to the fore with the first-innings dismissals of Shubman Gill (13) and Cheteshwar Pujara (14), who were bowled while leaving deliveries they needed to play at.

There were mixed views over Virat Kohli’s dismissal for 14 in the first innings. Some experts reckoned that he got a brute from Mitchell Starc, while a few stated that he made the rising delivery look like one by going on the front foot premeditatedly.

There were no two ways about Kohli’s dismissal in the second innings when India needed a big score from him. He went for a needless extravagant stroke outside the off-stump and gave a catch to second slip off Scott Boland’s bowling. And so, both Rohit and Kohli failed in yet another ICC final.

Ajinkya Rahane’s defiant 89 on his comeback in the first innings was the high point of India’s batting, along with Shardul Thakur’s 51. Rahane also contributed 46 in the second essay. However, as a batting outfit, India failed, scoring 296 in the first innings and 234 in the second.

It will be unfair to pin the blame on one department for defeat. But considering that bowling was comparative their weaker suit, the seasoned batters, the top order in particular, needed to come up with a bigger effort. They failed and their non-performance hurt India all the more.