Clinical Australia bowl out India for 240 in World Cup final

NEW DELHI: Propelled by resilient half-centuries from KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, India reached a total of 240 all out in precisely 50 overs in the World Cup final against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday,
The decision by Australian captain Pat Cummins to field, driven by the desire to avoid dealing with a dewy ball later in the night, raised eyebrows, but the Australian bowlers, supported by exceptional fielding, successfully contained their opponents.


Despite the early departure of Shubman Gill, a key component in India's batting strategy throughout the tournament, India's captain, Rohit Sharma, continued his trend of setting the tone with impactful innings.
Gill, who nearly edged the first ball he faced to the slip fielder, departed after scoring four runs, pulling Mitchell Starc (3-55) to Adam Zampa at mid-on.

Rohit showcased his prowess by smashing three sixes in an entertaining knock of 47 but unfortunately fell just before the conclusion of the powerplay.
The opener stepped out against Glenn Maxwell but miscued his shot on the offside. Travis Head ran backwards from cover to take a tumbling catch to get rid of the India captain.
Kohli (54) hit Starc for three boundaries in a row but India slumped to 81-3 in the 11th over when Cummins dismissed Shreyas Iyer caught behind.

Kohli and Rahul (66) then combined in a dour rebuilding job even if it meant going 16.1 overs without a boundary.
Kohli, the tournament's leading scorer, brought up his ninth 50-plus knock in 11 innings but soon departed after chopping a Cummins delivery on to his stumps.
Rahul hit just one four in his half-century illustrating how difficult the pitch was for shot-makers like him.
Australia wicketkeeper Josh Inglis took five catches, which is a record in a World Cup final.
(With Reuters Inputs)