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New Delhi, India
India lost the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final to Australia by 209 runs at The Oval, London early this year. They ended as the runners-up in the 2019-2021 cycle and finished at the same spot in the 2021-23 cycle. The Indian players assembled in London soon after the end of IPL 2023 and, hence, many believe it was the reason for their dismal show.
India opted to bowl first and had reduced Australia to 76 for 3 before Travis Head slammed 163 and Steve Smith's 121 took Australia to 469 all-out. In reply, India got bundled out for 296, with Ajinkya Rahane (89) and Shardul Thakur (51) being the top scorers. Australia declared at 270 for 8 in their second essay, setting a mammoth 444-run target. Rohit Sharma & Co. folded for 234 to lose convincingly on the final day.
After India's poor showing, many former cricketers and experts opined that Indian players were not well prepared as they returned to the purest format after playing in the IPL for two months. Nonetheless, former Indian captain and BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly slammed such a theory.
“I don't agree with this theory. Ajinkya Rahane also played IPL and he played very well during IPL and World Test Championship final. So I don't believe in this theory. Some of the Australian boys (Cameron Green, David Warner), played well in IPL also and did well in World Test Championship,” Ganguly said while speaking to PTI.
Ganguly added, "After IPL finished, there was enough time to acclimatise to Test cricket. They went to England and they played. It used to happen in the past. You played ODI cricket and you played Test cricket, things used to happen very, very quickly and so I don't believe it's an issue. So I believe that even if you play IPL, you should have the ability to adjust your technique and temperament and do well in a Test match."
Even in the 2019-21 WTC summit clash, where India lost to New Zealand in Southampton, the Indian players had come after playing IPL 2021. Nonetheless, the league was postponed in early May due to the COVID-19 threat. Thus, they still had over a month before the finale but lost to the Kiwis by eight wickets.