Ravichandran Ashwin lauds Australia skipper Cummins for "tactical brilliance" during Cricket World Cup final

New Delhi [India], November 23 : Indian spin veteran Ravichandran Ashwin on Thursday lauded Australian skipper Pat Cummins for his 'tactical brilliance and execution' in the ICC Cricket World Cup final, where he employed a lot of cutters to cut down runs on a slow wicket.
Another heartbreak was added to the list for Indian fans as Australia beat them by six wickets in the final of the Cricket World Cup at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, continuing the Men in Blue's drought of ICC trophies since 2014. Australia captured its record-extending sixth World Cup title.
"Pat Cummins was struggling as an ODI bowler heading into the World Cup. But in the last four or five games leading into the final, nearly 50 per cent of the balls he bowled were cutters," Ashwin said in his YouTube channel as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
"In the final - I do not know how many people explained it on TV - Cummins bowled to a four-five leg-side field like an offspinner, bowling the stump line. But he bowled only three balls in the six-meter mark or further up on the pitch in his entire ten-over spell. [He] knocked off crucial wickets in the final. The five fielders on the on side were square leg, midwicket, mid-on, deep square leg and long leg, and he bowled his ten overs without a mid-off," continued Ashwin.
Despite a predominant leg side field without a mid-off, Cummins did not concede any big boundaries and finished with figures of 2/34. He got wickets of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. Iyer was dismissed because of a low bounce on a length ball and Virat played one-on while trying to steer a back-of-length delivery to a deep third man.
"Cummins' execution should be applauded," Ashwin said. "It is easy to plan to bowl to a leg-side field. It is easier to bowl that way in a Test match because the umpires will not call a wide even if you bowl a couple of balls down leg."
"But to not bowl a wide down leg in an ODI, execute the plans with that field and not allow batters to drive the ball is brilliant. In my experience, I have seen bowlers go for at least one or two fours with such a field."
"It was the first time I saw a fast bowler bowl to an offspinner's field without a mid-off in a one-day game. Tactical brilliance, tactical execution. They had us there," he concluded.
A key reason why Cummins and other Australian pacers employed cutters was that the pitch was a slow one. The surface had already hosted the India-Pakistan match on October 14, and Australia, on the eve of the final, had fears that it would assist Indian spinners. Having called right at the toss, Cummins elected to field, leaving everyone surprised.
Ashwin later understood the exact reason behind Cummins's decision when he ran into Australian chief selector George Bailey later.
"I was looking at the pitch in mid-innings break when Bailey came around. I asked him why they chose to bowl first when Australia generally bat first in finals," Ashwin said.
"[Bailey] said, 'we have played IPL for many years, toured here for bilateral series. As per our experience in India, red soil disintegrates but black soil becomes better to bat under lights. It is tough [to bat] in red soil under lights, too."
"In Lucknow against South Africa, the pitch was a red soil one. Under lights, the ball not just seamed but also spun. Even dew does not have much impact on red soil whereas on black soil, the ball turns in the afternoon but becomes patta (flat) like concrete [under lights]. That is our experience'," added Ashwin.
Ashwin also raised concerns over quality of white Kookaburra balls used in bilateral series and the Indian Premier League (IPL) as compared to the ones used in ICC tournaments. Ashwin said that the former lose their shape easily and absorbed moisture unlike the balls used in ICC tournaments.
"I have observed in ICC events that whether the spinner rotates it or whether a fast bowler bowls, the ball lands on the seam and goes on. Whereas in bilateral series or IPL, the ball [loses shape and] becomes like a round vessel, a lemon or even an egg."
"Sometimes when the ball is kept in a storeroom, it catches a lot of moisture and soaks water and changes shape and changes quality [easily]. If the ball is given in the same quality [as in ICC events] in bilateral series and IPL, it will make a difference, because selections are based on performances in these bilateral series and the IPL. It will be the right test for batters and bowlers," he concluded.