"Flashbacks of the" — Virat Kohli opens up on the turning point of the ODI World Cup 2023 defeat

The former captain of the Indian team, Virat Kohli, has reflected on the turning point of the ODI World Cup 2023 defeat against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. He reckoned that his dismissal in the middle phase of the game made it incredibly tough for the blue brigade.  

Kohli finished the campaign as the leading run-getter with the bat. The right-handed batter smashed 765 runs in just 11 innings at an average of 95.62 and a fine strike rate of 90.31, thanks to six half-centuries and three centuries at the best score of 117 runs.

Virat Kohli revisited the exact moment he believes tilted the World Cup final against India

Kohli revisited the moment when he was dismissed during the final of the ODI World Cup for 54 runs. His dismissal brought the end of the 67-run partnership for the fourth wicket, which saw them suddenly lose control of the game.

The Delhi-born also reflected on his past incident. He claimed that before winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), he used to get flashbacks of the ICC Men’s T20 2016 final.

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“Before we won the IPL in 2025, I used to get flashbacks of the 2016 final. I feel the same about the World Cup final as well. I was playing on 54 and had set myself up for a big hundred; like, if I got 140-150, we would be in a great position to win that game. But as soon as I played on, it was very tough to process for many days.” Kohli expressed on JioStar.  

How was Virat Kohli’s dismissal the turning point of the ODI World Cup 2023 final?

During the final of the ODI WC 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, India were bundled out for 240. Their captain, Rohit Sharma, played a superb aggressive knock of 47 runs off 31 balls at a strike rate of 151.61, thanks to four boundaries and three sixes. Travis Head’s catch made a massive difference in the game.

Both Kohli and KL Rahul celebrated their individual half-centuries in the batting department. The latter struggled with the pace of the knock at a strike rate of 61.68, hitting just one boundary in the entire knock. Pat Cummins was superb for his spell of 2/34 in 10 overs.

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Despite being restricted to 47/3, Australia went over the winning line. Head played the sensational knock of 137 runs off 120 balls at a strike rate of 114.17, shouldering on 15 boundaries and four sixes, while Marnus Labuschagne contributed unbeaten 58 runs as they won the chase by six wickets with seven overs to spare.