Rahul Dravid Opens Up On India's Heartbreaking 2023 ODI World Cup Defeat Against Australia: 'You Need Those Little Moments Of Luck'

India endured a tough night in Ahmedabad when a mighty Australia inflicted a painful defeat in the ODI World Cup final two years ago. Travis Head smashed a brilliant century at Narendra Modi Stadium, and the Aussies went on to add another World Cup trophy to their cabinet.

Rahul Dravid Reflects On ODI World Cup Final Loss

India had defeated Australia in the group stage and steamrolled all the other opponents on their way to the final. The Rohit Sharma-led Men In Blue looked like a well-oiled unit and emerged as the favourites ahead of the final. But Head had other plans.

The southpaw managed to navigate the challenge through dangerous spells of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Once he got settled, there was no way back, and he went on to punish the hapless bowlers.

Rahul Dravid, who was the India coach at that time, insisted that sometimes one needs a little bit of luck in life. 

“You need those moments of luck a little bit in life. You just need those things, you know, Travis Head was beaten by Shami and Bumrah a lot that day, and he went on to play a phenomenal innings. And then, six months later, he is playing a final of the IPL, and on the first ball, he edges Vaibhav Arora in the final, SRH versus KKR. And that is the game, right? You think you are in control of a lot of things, but there are certain things you have got to sometimes just accept them and move on.”

Also Read: Women's World Cup 2025: Smriti Mandhana Registers Historic Milestone Against Australia In ODIs, Joins Mithali Raj In Rare List

Rohit Shama Stormed back To ODI Setup

India did manage to win the T20 World Cup last year under the tutelage of Dravid. Rohit Sharma guided India to its second T20 World Cup and also later lifted the Champions Trophy title after defeating New Zealand in the final. Shubman Gill replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain and will lead India in the 2027 ODI World Cup. Rohit roared back to form with a century against Australia in Sydney and is expected to feature against South Africa in the ODI series.

Also Read: IND-W vs AUS-W, 2nd Semi-Final, ICC Women's World Cup LIVE Score