2023 ODI Cricket World Cup: India's Unbeaten Run and Australia's Final Win

The 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup was held in India from October to November 2023. India hosted the tournament and produced one of the most dominant group-stage campaigns in World Cup history — winning all 10 of their matches before the final. They faced Australia in the Narendra Modi Stadium final in Ahmedabad, which was won by Australia in a stunning reversal.

India's Group Campaign

India beat every team they faced — Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Afghanistan, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh — scoring 400+ multiple times. Rohit Sharma's explosive opening, Virat Kohli's remarkable consistency (450+ runs), and Mohammed Shami's bowling (24 wickets in the tournament) made India overwhelming favourites entering the final.

The Final

India batted first in front of a crowd approaching 100,000 and scored 240/9 — a below-par total by their standards. Australia were 47/3 when Travis Head (137 off 120 balls) and Marnus Labuschagne (58) produced a match-defining partnership. Head's innings was Australia's best in a World Cup final since Ponting in 2003. Australia reached 241/4 with 42 balls to spare — winning by 6 wickets to claim their sixth World Cup title.

Virat Kohli

Kohli scored 765 runs in the 2023 World Cup at an average of 95.6, breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record for most runs in a single World Cup. He scored three centuries including 117 against New Zealand in the semi-final. His Player of the Tournament award was universally deserved even in defeat.