’’India wanted to give Australia a slow track’’: Kaif on ODI World Cup final

After being put in to bat in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19, a majority of India’s batters failed as they were dismissed for 240

Mohammad Kaif. Pic/AFP

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has alleged that India ‘doctored’ the ODI World Cup final pitch against Australia in Ahmedabad. He also blamed skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid for the Men in Blue’s six-wicket defeat.

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“I was there for three days. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid inspected the pitch every day for three days ahead of the final. They stood beside the pitch for an hour every day. I saw the pitch change its colour. There was no watering the pitch, no grass on the track. India wanted to give Australia a slow track. This is the truth, even if people don’t want to believe it,” Kaif said during a show on The Lallantop.

“The feeling was that Australia had Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc, so India wanted to give a slow pitch, and that was our mistake. Many people say that curators do their own thing and we don’t influence—that is rubbish. When you are moving around the pitch, you have to say just two lines, “please don’t put water, just reduce the grass. This happens. That is the truth. And it should be done. You are playing at home. And we did it a little too much,” he added.

After being put in to bat in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19, a majority of India’s batters failed as they were dismissed for 240.

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