AHMEDABAD, Aug. 10 -- Nobody scripted Travis Head for this. Not the 94,000 people inside Narendra Modi Stadium, not the Indian batting lineup that had spent the tournament preparing for almost anything, not the trajectory of a World Cup final that India's group-stage dominance had turned into something resembling a formality. Head walked in at 47 for 3. He walked off 137 balls later with 137 runs, six sixes, and a sixth ODI World Cup title for Australia.

The number is clean. The match was not.

India batted first and made 240 for 9, a total that had won matches in this tournament and that should have been enough against a side whose top order had been inconsistent through their path to the final. Pat Cummins gave them 2 for 34, workmanli...