Cricket World Cup awards
At the end of each ICC Cricket World Cup final tournament, several awards are presented to the players and teams which have distinguished themselves in various aspects of the game.
India is the only country whose players have won the Golden Bat a record 5 times (Sachin Tendulkar in 1996 & 2003, Rahul Dravid in 1999, Rohit Sharma in 2019 and Virat Kohli in 2023).
[3] Richards bowled 10 overs economically and ended with figures of 0/35 as England began a slow and steady chase to the West Indies' target.
[4] The West Indies began in similar fashion but a top-order collapse saw them fall to 6/76 through the bowling of Madan Lal and Kapil Dev.
In the second innings, England ended at 246 with various Australian bowlers, namely Craig McDermott, Steve Waugh, Simon O'Donnell and Allan Border, sharing the wickets.
After the openers failed to make an impact, Javed Miandad and Imran Khan carried the Pakistani innings through to 4/197, when Inzamam-ul-Haq was joined by Wasim Akram at the crease.
In the semi-final against India, Jayasuriya was out for 1 but contributed with the ball taking the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar, Sanjay Manjrekar and Ajay Jadeja.
[10] De Silva then came in to bowl and dismissed both Taylor and Ponting, falling to 4/156 before Stuart Law and Steve Waugh stabilized the innings.
[11] He scored 107 from 124 balls, only the 3rd ever century in the World Cup final, and partnered with Asanka Gurusinha and Arjuna Ranatunga, to take Sri Lanka to what ended up an easy victory.
[12] He continued his form in subsequent matches, scoring 52* and 3/21 against Sri Lanka, 48* and 1/16 against England, 5/21 against Kenya, 52* and 1/36 in a losing cause against Zimbabwe to carry South Africa through to the Super Sixes stage.
[14] Australian leg spin bowler Shane Warne was brought into the attack and made impact, bowling out Ijaz Ahmed for 22 and having Moin Khan caught behind for 6, reducing Pakistan to 5/91 after 27 overs.
Even though he had a golf ball sized tumour around his lungs (that was later diagnosed as cancer) he played his heart out and very significantly helped win India the World Cup.
His greatest contribution came against the West Indies, where he scored a hundred on a tough pitch and also picked up 2 wickets, helping India to reach the knockout stages.
Though he failed to score in the semi-final against Pakistan, he replied with the ball, picking up the important wickets of Asad Shafiq and the experienced Younis Khan.
Sri Lanka started the innings slowly, constrained by good bowling from Zaheer Khan and committed fielding from Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, and Virat Kohli inside the 30-yard circle.
Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan was bowled by Harbhajan Singh when a delivery carried on to the stumps after deflecting off his gloves.
Helped by the hard-hitting of Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera, Sri Lanka scored 91 runs in the last 10 overs, including 63 in the batting powerplay (45–50 overs) to take the score to 274/6 India had a shaky start, with Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar both dismissed early by Lasith Malinga, leaving them struggling at 31 for two.
When he was on 30, Gambhir mistimed a shot off the bowling of Suraj Randiv, sending the ball high up in the air, but Nuwan Kulasekara could not hold on to a difficult chance at long off.
Along with other considerations, by coming ahead of Yuvraj, Dhoni ensured there would be a right-left batting combination between him and Gambhir, which makes it difficult for the bowlers to get into a rhythm, and necessitates frequent field changes.
Like in many other day-night matches in the subcontinent, dew started to form on the outfield grass in the night, making the ball damp and difficult to grip especially in the later part of India's batting.
Man of the Tournament 2015 – Mitchell Starc – 22 wickets The Australian fast bowler was notable for his yorkers and wicket-taking deliveries in the World Cup.
This grandiose event, steeped in the fervor of cricketing enthusiasm, beckoned an overwhelmingly Indian crowd bedecked in the team's iconic blue jersey.
As India paraded onto their revered home turf, the air was charged with palpable excitement, fueled by the nation's impressive streak of 10 consecutive victories in the league matches and semi-final.
Yet, at the precipice of 9.4 overs, the stadium bore witness to a pivotal turning point as Travis Head, executing a sensational catch off a Glen Maxwell delivery, dismissed Rohit Sharma, casting a spell of stunned silence upon the crowd.
Despite this early setback, the Indian team exhibited unwavering resilience, with Virat Kohli, the talismanic batsman, shouldering the responsibility of steadying the ship.
However, the echoes of shock reverberated through the stadium at 28.3 overs when Australian Captain Pat Cummins dismissed bainsod Kohli, fulfilling a promise made in a pre-match press conference to relish the hush that befell the crowd.
The Australian fielding, characterized by its immaculacy and precision, limited India to a mere 4 boundaries in the last 40 overs, amplifying the collective disappointment among Indian fans in the stadium.
The crescendo of emotions reached its zenith when Travis Head achieved a brilliant century off 95 balls, marked by 14 boundaries and 1 six.
As the final moments unfolded, Australia emerged victorious, dealing a poignant blow to the hopes of the predominantly Indian crowd.
Their journey, laden with emotion, transcended the boundaries of sport, leaving an indelible mark on the collective spirit of cricket enthusiasts.
