Pat Cummins, the victorious captain of the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup for Australia, reflected on a poignant moment at the Narendra Modi Stadium that will linger in his memory. It was when he dismissed Virat Kohli during the title clash, and the subsequent hush that fell over the stadium during the moment of silence.
In the final showdown at Ahmedabad on November 19, Kohli fought valiantly with a score of 54 to lift India from a precarious situation. However, Cummins bowled a short ball that resulted in Kohli chopping onto his stumps without conceding a boundary in his impressive spell of 2-34 in ten overs. Australia successfully chased down India's total of 240 in 43 overs, securing their sixth World Cup title.
Before the final, Cummins had cheekily mentioned his team's goal to quiet the Indian fans in the stadium, and the moment of Kohli's dismissal achieved just that. In the aftermath, Cummins expressed his excitement, recounting the eerie silence in the stadium after Smith urged the team to listen to the crowd's reaction.
“I was obviously very pumped. And then we’re in the huddle after that wicket, and Steve Smith says, “Boys, listen to the crowd for a second.” And we just took a moment of pause, and it was as quiet as a library; 100,000 Indians there, and it was so quiet. I’ll savour that moment for a long time,” said Cummins to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Cummins earned praise for his strategic decisions in the final, choosing to bowl first and implementing innovative field placements. He also utilized six bowlers in as many overs to prevent India from gaining momentum in the game.
“Talking with the coaches over different ways to – especially in the middle overs of the ODI – create something from nothing. We’ve got plenty of all-rounders in the side, so why not have a lot of one-over spells and keep trying different ways to break up their rhythm? And yeah, it seemed to work pretty well,” he added.
This year has been extraordinary for Cummins, leading Australia to retain the Ashes, win the inaugural World Test Championship mace, and secure the Men’s ODI World Cup title. He assumed the role of captaincy in November 2021, following Tim Paine's unexpected departure.
Reflecting on the challenge, Cummins admitted to feeling initially intimidated. “I was, for sure. Especially to see two really good mates having their tenures end the way they did. It felt like I was walking straight into it, a little bit.”
Despite the initial trepidation, Cummins found support from his team and embraced the responsibility that came with leading the Australian side. He acknowledged the historic significance of Australian captaincy and credited the supportive environment for helping him quickly adapt to the unfamiliar role.
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