Australia secured a six-wicket victory over India in the final of the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023, claiming their record-sixth title. Head's remarkable century, scoring 137 runs off just 120 balls at the Narendra Modi Stadium, proved pivotal in the match. Regarding Indian skipper Rohit Sharma's unfulfilled World Cup dream after the loss, Head referred to him as "the unlucky man" following his third and likely final attempt at the title.
He highlighted his catch as the turning point that saw Rohit's dismissal and acknowledged, "That's the turning point of the match for me." Rohit had started strongly, contributing 47 runs in 31 balls, setting up a fiery start for India despite losing Shubman Gill early. Head's impressive catch while running backward sent Rohit back to the pavilion, changing the momentum of the whole game.
Head said, "He’s (Rohit Sharma) probably the unluckiest man in the world. Again, it's (fielding) something that I worked hard on. I couldn't imagine getting a hundred, couldn't probably imagine holding onto that one. Was great to hold on to that catch"
Australia faced a shaky start while chasing the 242-run target, losing three quick wickets. However, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne's partnership of 192 runs for the fourth wicket made it a challenging task for the Indian bowlers, securing victory for their team in 43 overs. Head's century and Labuschagne's unbeaten 58 contributed significantly to the win.
Reflecting on his performance, Head said, "Never expected this, not in a million years, truly an exceptional day. Lot better than sitting on the couch at home. Really glad to contribute, the first twenty balls I played gave me a lot of confidence and yea I was able to carry through. The way Mitch Marsh came out and took the game on, he set the tone. That was the energy we wanted and we knew the wicket may get tough. It was a great decision to bowl first after winning the toss. I felt the wicket got better as the day went on. It took a little bit of spin, it paid dividends. Nice to be a part of it, nice to play a role in all of that.”
Travis Head Was Uncertain For World Cup 2023
It is worth noting that Travis Head suffered a hand injury before the tournament but was still included in the 15-men squad by Australia. Head made a comeback to the team in Australia’s match against New Zealand in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in Dharamsala and scored a 67-ball 109 helping the team post a big total.
Rohit Sharma, once again fell short of the World Cup trophy as captain and faced disappointment even after having a wonderful tournament as both, a batsman and captain.