“Pat Cummins was struggling as an ODI bowler heading into the World Cup. But in the last four-five games leading up to the final, almost 50% of the balls he bowled were cutters,” Ashwin said.

“In the final, I don’t know how many people explained it on TV, Cummins bowled as an offspinner to a four- or five-leg field, bowling down the line of stump. But he only bowled three balls at the six-metre mark or above. on the field for his entire period of ten more. [He] He knocked down crucial wickets in the final. The side’s five wicketkeepers were square leg, midwicket, mid-on, deep square leg and long leg, and he bowled his ten overs without a mid-off.”

Despite having a predominantly leg-side field without a middle-on, Cummins did not concede a single boundary and finished with figures of 2 for 34. The two wickets were those of Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli; Iyer was beaten on the low bounce of a long ball as Kohli played one while trying to direct a long ball to deep third. Those attacks went a long way in limiting India to 240 in Ahmedabad.

“Cummins’ performance should be applauded,” Ashwin said. “It’s easy to plan to bowl on a leg-side pitch. It’s easier to bowl that way in a Test match because the umpires won’t mark an open pitch even if you bowl a couple of balls down the leg.

“But not bowling wide leg in an ODI, executing the plans with that pitch and not allowing the batsmen to drive the ball is brilliant. In my experience, I have seen players bowl at least one or two fours with that pitch.

“It was the first time I saw a fast bowler bowl to a bowler without a mid-point in a one-day game. Tactical brilliance, tactical execution. They had us there.”

Cummins’ decision to pitch first in the final took many by surprise•CPI via Getty Images

Why Australia put India in to bat

A key factor behind Cummins and other Australian fast bowlers deploying cutters was the slow pitch for the final over. The strip had already hosted the India-Pakistan match on October 14, and Australia, on the eve of the final, feared it would help the Indian spinners. Having declared correctly at the toss, Cummins elected to play, leaving everyone surprised.

Ashwin would later understand the exact reason behind Cummins’ decision when he bumped into Australia’s chief selector George Bailey midway.

“I was watching the pitch in the mid-innings break when Bailey came up. I asked him why they chose to bowl first when Australia usually bats first in finals,” Ashwin said. “[Bailey] He said, “We have played in IPL for many years and have toured here for bilateral series.” In our experience in India, red soil disintegrates but black soil becomes better for batting under lights. It’s hard [to bat] also on red ground under lights.

“In Lucknow against South Africa, the pitch was red soil. Under the lights, the ball not only stitched but also spun. Even dew does not have much impact on red soil, while on black soil, the ball spins on the ground. late but becomes patta (flat) like concrete [under lights]. That’s our experience.”

‘The same Kookaburra balls are needed in bilateral series and IPL as in ICC events’

Ashwin also expressed concern over the quality of the Kookaburra cue ball used for bilateral and IPL series compared to those used in ICC events. He said those used in bilaterals and IPL lost shape easily and also absorbed moisture unlike those in ICC events.

“I have observed in ICC events that whether the spinner spins it or a fast bowler bowls, the ball lands on the seam and continues. Whereas in bilateral series or IPL, the ball [loses shape and] It becomes like a round container, a lemon or even an egg.

“Sometimes when the ball is stored in a warehouse, it traps a lot of moisture and becomes soaked with water and changes its shape and quality. [easily]. If the ball is delivered in the same quality. [as in ICC events] In bilateral series and IPL, it will make a difference because selections are based on performance in these bilateral series and IPL. “It will be the right test for the batsmen and bowlers.”