The Narendra Modi Stadium was loud under the lights. The pressure of the powerplay had left Australia at 45 for 3. The target of 437, already large at the innings break, now felt even heavier.
Australia, with their record in knockout matches, did not give up.
As the fielding restrictions lifted at the start of the eleventh over, Siddanth Deva brought on the spinners. The dry surface was beginning to offer some grip under the lights.
Ravindra Jadeja marked his run-up from the Pavilion End. Kuldeep Yadav took the ball at the other end.
Their job was clear: keep the rate down, attack the stumps, and give no free width.
Jadeja bowled flat and quick, around 95 kmph, into the pads, giving the batsmen little time to step out. Kuldeep used flight and dip, drawing the batsmen forward before turning the ball across the edge.
Marnus Labuschagne found it hard to score against the spin and struggled to rotate the strike. He played and missed more than once, the ball spinning past the outside edge as Kuldeep found drift and drop. When he did connect, the ball often went straight to a fielder inside the circle. The singles dried up.
At the other end Travis Head played a different game.
The left-hander had survived the new-ball spells of Bumrah and Shami and was settling in. He knew defence against Jadeja and Kuldeep would eventually bring a mistake. He had to find ways to score.
His footwork was good. When Kuldeep tossed it up, Head stepped down, met the ball early and drove through extra cover for four. When Jadeja dropped slightly short, Head went back and pulled in front of square. He used the depth of the crease well, sometimes going deep to cut, sometimes advancing to smother the turn.
He was fighting a lone battle. He found the gaps, ran hard, and put away the occasional loose ball. Labuschagne at the other end looked stuck, unable to match the tempo.
In the commentary box the panel watched with growing concern for Australia's position.
"You have to admire Travis Head," Ricky Ponting said. "His side is in trouble. The required rate is climbing toward ten. But he has kept himself clear of the scoreboard pressure. He is watching the ball, using his feet against the spinners, and playing a strong hand. The problem is he is doing it almost alone."
"He is looking dangerous," Ravi Shastri agreed. "He has crossed fifty and has not given a chance. The pitch is a little easier now the new ball has lost its shine. As long as he stays, Australia have a chance. But look at the other end. Labuschagne is tied down. That is where the chase is dying."
Ian Bishop added his view.
"Australia's problem started in the powerplay. Losing Warner first ball set a tone they never recovered from. Marsh went trying to force the pace. Smith was out-thought by a planned slower ball. Three big wickets gone, and now the required rate is already punishing them. They needed partnerships. Instead they have Head carrying the load while the rest of the order is under pressure every ball."
Ponting nodded.
"What should they have done differently? In the first ten overs they had to take calculated risks, but not reckless ones. Warner's dismissal was unplayable — you can live with that. Marsh's shot was the one that hurt. He was not set and still went for a big pull against Bumrah's skiddy length. That is the kind of shot you can save for later. Smith's dismissal was pure planning by India. Deva moved the fielder, Shami delivered the off-cutter, and Smith closed the face early. Australia walked into that trap."
Shastri picked up the point.
"Once you are three down with the rate climbing, the middle order has to rebuild without panicking. Labuschagne is trying to do that, but Jadeja and Kuldeep are giving him nothing. No width, no full tosses, no easy singles. The field is tight. Every time Head scores a boundary, the next few balls are dots at the other end. That is how the required rate keeps rising."
The overs passed. Labuschagne continued to struggle. He played a couple of solid defensive shots, then tried to work Jadeja into the leg side and nearly offered a leading edge. Kuldeep beat him with a googly that he did not pick. The pressure was constant.
Eventually Labuschagne fell. Jadeja pushed one through a little quicker. The ball skidded on with the arm. Labuschagne played for turn that was not there and was trapped in front. The appeal was confident. The finger went up.
Australia were four down.
Head continued, finding support from Josh Inglis. Inglis looked more comfortable than Labuschagne. He used his feet against Kuldeep, drove a couple of times through the covers, and rotated the strike better. For a short period the pair added runs without taking heavy risks.
By the 24th over Australia were 135 for 4.
Travis Head was on 84. He was sweeping Kuldeep effectively and driving Jadeja off the back foot. The crowd, loud earlier, had quietened a little each time he played a shot. The target was still nearly three hundred runs away, but Head's batting was becoming a genuine problem for India.
In the commentary box the discussion turned to the growing threat.
"Head is playing a proper Finals innings," Ponting said. "He is not slogging. He is picking the length early, using the crease, and punishing anything loose. If he gets to a hundred and someone stays with him, the rate is still high but the belief can return. That is the danger for India."
"Deva knows it," Bishop said. "You can see it in his body language. The spinners have done a job, but Head has worked them out. The pitch has flattened a little. It is time for a change."
Shastri agreed.
"Australia's only hope is Head. If he falls now, the lower order will struggle to keep up with a rate that is already close to ten. They needed one of the top three to bat deep. None of them did. That is the difference between a chase that stays alive and one that slowly dies."
Siddanth Deva stood at mid-off, watching. He saw Head step out and drive Kuldeep for a hard-run two. He saw Inglis work a single into the leg side.
Deva wiped sweat from his forehead. The spinners were no longer fully in control of the set batsman. The pitch had flattened and Head had found his rhythm.
Deva decided it was time to break the stand.
He took his cap off and handed it to the umpire, Richard Kettleborough.
The crowd recognised the change immediately. A loud roar went up as the captain brought himself on.
**THE FIRST OVER**
Deva marked his run-up at the Pavilion End. The crowd chanted his name.
Josh Inglis was on strike. Head stood at the non-striker's end, watching carefully.
Deva rubbed the ball on his trousers, keeping the seam clean. He set an attacking field, mid-off and mid-on inside the circle, challenging the batsman to clear the infield.
He ran in.
He bowled right-arm fast-medium, hard length on the fourth-stump line at good pace. Inglis defended solidly with a straight bat. Dot ball.
Next delivery he dug it in short, aimed at the body. Inglis took his eyes off it slightly and fended it down toward short leg. Another dot.
Then a fuller ball, aimed at the base of off stump. Inglis took a stride forward and pushed it firmly to mid-off. Still no run.
"This is a tight over from the captain," Ian Bishop said. "He is hitting the deck hard and giving no width. Inglis is not getting any room to work with."
Deva followed with a back-of-a-length ball on the pads. Inglis tucked it behind square and called for a quick single. The strike rotated.
Travis Head was now on strike.
Deva ran in again and delivered a fast ball at the top of off stump. Head tried to punch it through the covers off the back foot. The ball held its line and beat the outside edge by a small margin.
A collective gasp went around the ground.
On the last ball of the over Deva angled one into the pads. Head flicked it comfortably to deep square leg for a single.
Deva's first over cost only two runs. He had slowed the scoring, but Head kept the strike.
In the commentary box the panel discussed the change.
"Good over," Ponting said. "Deva has come on and immediately dried up the boundaries. Head is still there, though, and that is the key wicket. Australia need him to bat through the next ten overs at least. If he goes, the chase is almost certainly over."
"What Australia should have done earlier is clear now," Shastri said. "They needed someone to stay with Head from the start of the spin period. Labuschagne could not do it. The rate climbed while Head was forced to take most of the risks. That is why they are still so far behind."
Kuldeep bowled a quiet over from the other end, conceding three singles. Inglis and Head exchanged the strike without taking chances.
Head returned to the striker's end on 88, looking for a century in a World Cup Final.
Deva walked back to his mark — but he did not stop at the usual place.
He walked up to the umpire, Richard Kettleborough, and spoke quietly. The umpire's expression changed for a moment. He nodded and tapped his left shoulder, signalling the change to the scorers and the batsman.
In the commentary box the panel reacted at once.
"What has the umpire just signalled?" Bishop asked, staring at the monitor.
Ponting leaned forward.
"He has tapped his left shoulder. Deva is changing his bowling arm. He is going to bowl left-arm fast."
Shastri's voice rose.
"He is ambidextrous. He can bowl at high pace with both arms. He has not bowled left-arm in an international match since the 2019 World Cup. He has kept this option back for a moment like this."
The crowd realised what was happening as Deva marked a mirrored run-up from the other side of the stumps. The noise rose sharply. People stood up. The chanting changed.
Head looked surprised. He adjusted his stance, trying to prepare for a completely different angle. He had studied Deva's right-arm action for hours in the lead-up to the Final. He was not ready for this.
Bishop spoke over the noise.
"This is a massive tactical call. Head has been seeing the ball well from the right-arm angle. Suddenly the ball is coming from the other side, with different swing and a different release point. Even the best batsmen need time to adjust. Deva is giving him none."
Deva ran in left-arm over the wicket. His action was smooth and high. He released the ball at 152 kmph, full and outside off.
Head expected the ball to angle across him from the left-arm trajectory and shouldered arms, leaving it alone.
The ball swung late and sharply back in. It dipped under the raised bat and crashed into the base of middle and leg stump. The leg stump was knocked back and the bails flew.
"Bowled him!" Bishop said, voice rising. "Left-arm, full, late inswing, and Head is gone for 88. The set batsman is out. That is a special delivery."
Head stood for a moment, staring at the stumps in disbelief, then tucked his bat under his arm and walked off. The crowd noise followed him all the way.
Australia 142 for 4.
Ponting spoke quickly.
"That is the wicket India needed. Head was the only man who looked capable of keeping the chase alive. Once he goes, the lower order has to try to hit out, and that usually brings more wickets. Australia's plan of building around one big innings has just ended."
Marcus Stoinis walked out. The noise was constant and heavy.
Deva stayed left-arm over the wicket. He bowled back of a length on the fourth-stump line. The ball held its line and climbed a little more than Stoinis expected.
Stoinis, unsure of the movement and the bounce, pushed at it with hard hands, stuck on the crease. A thin outside edge flew to Sanju Samson, who moved sharply and took a clean catch.
"Edged and taken," Ponting said. "First-ball duck for Stoinis. Two in two. Deva is on a hat-trick."
Stoinis walked off without looking back.
Australia 142 for 5.
Shastri added,
"Stoinis had no time to settle. The change of arm has completely disrupted their preparation. They are facing a different bowler from the one they studied. That is the value of the surprise."
**Hat-trick ball**
The stadium was on its feet. Phone lights filled the stands, creating a spread of light across the tiers. The chanting was loud and continuous.
Glenn Maxwell walked out. He was the remaining batsman who could still change a game with a short, violent innings. He had scored heavily earlier in the tournament. Australia's last realistic hope rested with him.
Deva spoke again to the umpire, then moved to left-arm around the wicket, targeting the pads of the right-hander.
"He is changing the angle again," Shastri said. "Left-arm around the wicket, looking for the pad. This is clear planning. He wants Maxwell driving across the line or trapped in front."
Maxwell took guard, eyes fixed down the pitch. He tapped his bat and waited.
Deva ran in. The crowd's clapping rose with his approach.
He delivered a fast ball at the leg-stump line. Maxwell planted his front foot across and tried to whip it through mid-wicket.
The ball pitched on leg and straightened just enough off the surface. Maxwell was squared up. His bat swung across the line and missed. The ball hit the front pad, flush in front of middle stump.
The appeal was loud and immediate. Umpire Kettleborough raised his finger without delay. Plumb LBW.
The ground erupted.
"He has done it!" Bishop said. "A hat-trick in the World Cup Final. Three wickets in three balls with the left arm. Head, Stoinis and Maxwell — the middle order is gone in one over."
Maxwell knew he was out. He turned and walked off without reviewing.
Australia 142 for 6.
Ponting summed up the damage.
"That is the end of the contest as a chase. Head was the anchor. Stoinis and Maxwell were the players who could still clear the boundary. All three are gone in three balls. Australia are effectively batting for pride now. The required rate is impossible from here."
Shastri added,
"Credit to Deva for the timing. He did not bring himself on too early. He let the spinners work, saw that Head was getting away, and then produced the surprise. The left-arm option had been kept back for years. To use it in the Final, on this stage, and to take a hat-trick with it — that will be remembered."
The Indian players ran in from all directions. Kohli reached Deva first, followed by Bumrah, Shami and Rahul. They shouted, slapped his back and pulled him into a group huddle.
Deva stepped out of the huddle after a few seconds.
He stood still in the middle of the pitch, turned toward the VIP boxes high above, and raised his right hand. With his index finger he carefully traced a large capital **R** in the air. He held the pose for a moment, looking toward the glass.
The broadcast cut to the box.
On the big screens around the ground the crowd saw Rishi standing against the glass, a wide smile on his face. He raised his hand, pressed it to the pane, and carefully traced an **S** back toward the field.
Aadhya jumped up and down, pointing at the screen and cheering for her brother and father.
The promise was kept. The job was not finished.
---
@CricketNerd_IND: He kept the left-arm option hidden for years and pulled it out in the Final for a hat-trick. That is next-level planning.
@AussieSportsFan: Head was batting so well. Then the switch of arms, the late inswing, and the stumps are gone. The chase ended in that over.
@DesiCricketMemes:
Australia: "We've worked out the right-arm."
Deva: "Left-arm time."
@FanGirl_Sid: The R for Rishi and the S back on the glass. Softest moment in the middle of the chaos.
@EnglishCricketView: Changing bowling arm mid-spell in a Final and taking three in three. Outstanding tactical move and execution.
@ViratKohliFans: The celebration after the LBW. The whole team is together. Looking like the cup is coming home.
@CricStatsLive: Highest score in a World Cup Final and a hat-trick in the same match. Historic night for Deva.
@TeamIndiaFans: The noise for the hat-trick ball was enormous. Ahmedabad is fully behind them.
@PaceBowlingFan: To bowl high pace right-arm and then produce a late-swinging yorker left-arm is rare. Special skill.
@The_Master_Architect: The change worked. The middle order is gone. Finish the job.
---
With the main Australian batsmen gone, the rest of the innings moved quickly. The required rate was beyond reach. The lower order had to try to hit out or defend for survival. Neither option was comfortable against a side that could sense the finish.
Deva continued left-arm over the wicket for the next few overs, maintaining the same control.
He bowled a short ball angled into Mitchell Starc's body. Starc, cramped for room, fended awkwardly. The ball took the splice and lobbed gently to short leg, where Shreyas Iyer took a simple catch.
Deva had his fourth wicket. Australia 155 for 8.
In the commentary box the verdict was clear.
"Australia have no way back from here," Ponting said. "The top order failed in the powerplay. The middle order was broken by the left-arm spell. Now it is only a matter of time."
"What went wrong overall?" Bishop asked. "They lost early wickets when they needed a solid start. They could not form partnerships. Head played well but had no support. And when the key moment came, they had no answer to the change of bowling arm. India planned better and executed better."
Shastri agreed.
"They should have valued wickets more in the first fifteen overs. The aggressive intent was understandable given the size of the target, but the execution was off. Marsh's shot, the way Smith fell into the trap — those were moments that could have been avoided. Once Head was left isolated, the chase was always going to be uphill."
Deva stayed in the attack. He delivered a full ball at the base of off stump to Pat Cummins. The Australian captain drove at it. Late away swing, generated from the left-arm angle, beat the outside edge and hit the off stump. The bail spun away.
Deva had five wickets.
Australia 168 for 9.
He took his cap from the umpire and handed the ball to Kuldeep Yadav.
The crowd was already on its feet, phone lights glowing across the tiers, when the first clear notes of A.R. Rahman's *Maa Tujhe Salaam* rose from the stands. What began as scattered voices quickly became a single, rolling wave. Fifty thousand people sang together, the melody swelling under the floodlights:
*Maa tujhe salaam…*
*Maa tujhe salaam…*
*Yeh desh hai tera, tu hai iska pyaar…*
*Maa tujhe salaam…*
Flags of every size began to move. In the VIP boxes and corporate stands, celebrities joined without hesitation. Shah Rukh Khan stood and waved a large tricolour, singing every word.
Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh held a shared flag between them, voices raised. Aamir Khan, seated a few rows higher, clapped the rhythm and sang with the crowd.
Anushka Sharma and Virat's parents were on their feet, flags in hand. Even the overseas guests in the media enclosure could be seen mouthing the chorus.
The song continued, the entire stadium locked into the next lines:
*Suno… suno… suno sabhi…*
*Maa tujhe salaam…*
*Vande Mataram…*
*Vande Mataram…*
As the words *Vande Mataram* rang out across the ground, Siddanth Deva stood near mid-off, ball still in Kuldeep's hand, and listened. He turned slowly, taking in the full circle of the stadium.
Then he lifted his head and began to sing *Vande Mataram* in a clear, steady voice that carried just far enough for the nearest fielders to hear. Rohit Sharma joined him almost at once.
Hardik Pandya's deeper tone followed, then Jadeja and Kohli. Within seconds a loose knot of Indian players around the pitch were singing the national song out loud while the stands continued the full chorus of *Maa Tujhe Salaam*.
In the commentary box the voices rose above the noise.
"Listen to that," Harsha Bhogle said. "The whole of Ahmedabad is singing *Maa Tujhe Salaam*. And look at the middle — the moment *Vande Mataram* comes, Deva and the players are right there with the crowd. One wicket needed, and the ground has become a national choir."
Ravi Shastri added, "This is more than a cricket match now. The crowd is carrying the team home. You can feel it in the players' body language."
Ian Bishop simply said, "I've never heard a stadium quite like this at the death of a World Cup Final."
Kuldeep waited for the wave of sound to crest, then walked back to his mark.
Kuldeep tossed the ball up with drift and dip. Adam Zampa went down on one knee and tried a forceful sweep. The ball gripped, turned past the edge and hit the top of off stump. The bails came off.
The stadium erupted. Fireworks went up from the roof. The Indian players ran to the middle and collapsed into a group of hugs, shouts and exhaustion.
Australia were all out for 195.
India had won by 241 runs.
They had gone through the tournament undefeated and defended the title on home soil.
In the commentary box Ravi Shastri stood and raised his arms.
"India are World Champions!"
Harsha Bhogle followed.
"A complete performance. A massive total with the bat, a ruthless new-ball spell, and a decisive left-arm hat-trick from the captain when the game needed breaking open. Australia fought in parts — Head's innings stands out — but they were second best in every phase. India have been the best team in this World Cup, and tonight they finished it in style."
Ponting closed the coverage of the match.
"Congratulations to India. They deserve this. For Australia, there will be hard questions. The early collapses, the lack of partnerships, and the inability to respond to the tactical surprise. They will come back, but tonight belongs to Siddanth Deva and his team."