Shastri and Manjrekar react to Australia’s Cricket World Cup win over India

Australia smart in their choice to field first on a slow pitch in Ahmedabad, Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Manjrekar agree.

Indian legends Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Manjrekar say the toss and conditions beat the hosts in the World Cup final.

Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first, running out winners by six wickets in front of a stunned Ahmedabad crowd on Sunday as the chase of 241 turned into a stroll.

India struggled to get the ball away, having been put in – twice going more than an hour without a boundary in their innings – and were bowled out for the first time in the tournament.

“It was a slow surface,” Shastri said. “The Australians looked at the surface before the game started and were all very concerned.

“They made the right choice at the toss, and I thought they bowled magnificently – they used the slowness of the surface early on.

“The way they bowled to Suryakumar Yadav towards the end was brilliant as well.

“They know him so well they realised he uses pace and the pace of the ball to destroy attacks. They gave him absolutely no pace – nothing to hit with,” Shastri told the official ICC broadcast.

Former wicketkeeper Manjrekar, who played 11 times for India, was in complete agreement alongside Shastri.

“The match was so much about conditions, and when Australia won the toss, they went against the conventional wisdom of bat first and put runs on the board,” he said.