Best of Both Sides | Irfan Pathan writes: India lost the trophy, but it was the best team in the World Cup

If we had countered the conditions better, nobody would have been able to stop this Indian team. Of course, Australia was beginning to peak, but I didn’t feel that worried about the Indian team. Had Team India played the final on a pitch with a bit more bounce, it would not have taken our bowlers out. The low bounce nullified our strength and our aggressive batting was out of the equation as well. Australia’s field placements were outstanding and forced us to step out or play horizontal-bat shots.

Yes, this Indian team doesn’t have a trophy but that doesn’t take anything away from the players. I could feel it among the fans after the final. The majority of those I met were incredibly proud of how the team had played. Of course, there was disappointment but also pride. And that can happen only if you play a fantastic brand of aggressive cricket, the sort required to win the Cup in the modern era. That’s how the Indian team played throughout the World Cup.

What stood out to me was how well the team embraced expectations. There was no other team as balanced as India’s — it was made for all conditions. For every role, I thought India had the best players. With the way everyone was playing and clicking together, I was expecting them to go all the way. I was, in fact, confident that this team would cross the finish line without any trouble. But despite putting in the best performance for any Indian team at a World Cup, they don’t have a trophy. The 2011 team was special, but it was not as ruthless. In my mind, this Indian team was like a heavyweight champion boxer, who believes only in landing knockout punches. And it gave us that thrill till the semi-final.

If you had asked anyone before the final which team was the favourite, everyone would have said India. That was because of all the planning they had put in before the World Cup. The final result doesn’t take away all the meticulous planning — which made India the team to beat — since the Asia Cup. Look at how well they managed the return of Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. When the World Cup started, they ensured even someone like Mohammed Shami was fresh. All this is what makes a team great, not just titles. To not have a full-strength squad for a whole year and to have a tournament like this isn’t possible for everyone. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid have done a marvellous job of taking the Indian team to where it has reached right now.

If you just do man-to-man marking in terms of performances throughout, Virat Kohli had the most runs, and Rohit Sharma had more runs than Travis Head who had played fewer matches. You had Mohammed Shami leading the wicket charts. Individually, an Indian player will come out as a winner against an Australian counterpart. But it was in the finals that Australia came out

like champions. Australia’s fielding, with short straight extra cover and extra cover, and their bowling which kept using the slowness of the pitch won out. For the first time at the World Cup, they threw our plans into disarray and we couldn’t counter theirs. As we lost wickets, we kept getting stuck and before we knew it, we were in deep trouble. So due credit to Australia for coming up with better plans on the day, but if you ask me, India was definitely the best team in the World Cup.

The writer is a former India all-rounder, who was part of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup-winning side. He played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is for India