Australia thrashed India by 209 runs in the final of the World Test Championship in 2023. The majority of the Indian team that was picked in the squad and played the game were coming on the back of two-and-a-half months of intense IPL T20 cricket, whereas some of the Australians, a few by choice and a few by not getting picked for the IPL at the auction, played the game directly and looked match fit.
“In an ideal scenario, yes, I would prefer it if we have 20-25 days to prepare for a game like this,” Indian skipper at the time Rohit Sharma had said after the loss.
“Let’s be realistic here. You’re not going to get those 20 days. And if that’s the case then you’ve got to miss IPL. So, the choice is yours, and it’s up to the establishment as well. I’m sure the BCCI will review this in the future, if a World Test Championship [final] is going to come after an IPL every time in the month of June, then for that season, if your team qualifies for the final, there should be certain clauses put to franchises,” Shastri said.
The lack of red-ball practice showed in the Indian side compared to the Australian side. The likes of Steve Smith and Travis Head, who were not part of the IPL, scored centuries in the game and looked at home with the rhythms of Test match cricket, and the bowling too were well adept at bowling Test match lengths.
Though some of the batters for India, the likes of Rohit himself, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane, did have their moments playing some pristine shots and getting starts, they eventually succumbed to the discipline of the Australian bowlers, playing drives against the deliveries that could have been avoided. The bowling coming on the back of a grueling IPL, where the bowlers are used to bowling just four overs, did show the disability to construct longer spells suited for red-ball cricket.
