Black Soil from Odisha Used for Pitch of World Cup Cricket Final: Ashwin

Mumbai: India’s star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin revealed that the wicket used for the final match of the ICC World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad used black soil from Odisha.

In his YouTube video, Ashwin praised Australia’s decision to bowl first thorough analysis of the pitch’s black soil which gets better to bat on in the evening and this ultimately proved to be a masterstroke.

“Let me make it clear, Australia did not win because of destiny or luck. They were tactically outstanding in the final. I watched their performance in the final with absolute fascination. Australia and Pat Cummins deceived me. I thought Australia would bat first if they win the toss because, historically, it’s an Aussie thing to ‘win the toss and bat’. The wicket used for the final was not Ahmedabad soil, it was rather from Odisha. It was the kind of wicket that would not disintegrate too much,” he said on his YouTube video.

Ashwin also spoke of his conversation with Australian chief selector George Bailey during the innings break. “When I asked him why didn’t you guys bat first like you always do, he spoke about his experience in India and that red soil disintegrates but black soil becomes better to bat under lights. He said the ball turns in the afternoon but becomes patta (flat) like concrete under lights. And I was left in awe of their reading of the conditions,” he said.