India is aiming for a third World Cup victory to go with their two previous triumphs from 1983 and 2011, the last of which occurred on home soil. They have won the competition ten times in a row.
On Sunday, in front of 130,000 spectators, India, led by Rohit Sharma, will play Australia, the reigning champions, in the World Cup final in an attempt to snap a 10-year worldwide title drought. In an attempt to add a third World Cup victory to their 1983 and 2011 triumphs—the latter of which was achieved on home soil—India has amassed ten straight victories at the competition. Despite its wealth in cricket, India hasn’t won a significant international championship since the 2013 Champions Trophy, and as a result, the expectations in the 1.4 billion cricket enthusiasts in the country have skyrocketed.
The Australian team, who will be competing in their eighth World Cup final, will pit the hosts against them after they had won eight straight games.
Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins stated on Saturday, “We’ve won before.”
“I think one of the pleasing things is I still don’t feel like we’ve played the complete game.”
“Very challenging”
“This is going to be an unbelievable game,” former India captain and 1983 World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar said on TV channel India Today.
“You are playing against the five-time champions, a team that knows how to come back from almost impossible situations, who know how to play finals, how to win finals.”
“So I believe it will be a real, real challenge for the Indian team but I do believe that Rohit Sharma’s men are up for it.”
In addition to winning five World Cups, Australia won their first-ever Twenty20 championship in 2021 and defeated India handily in the World Test Championship final earlier this year.
Four weeks ago, in the Chennai group stage, India crushed Australia by six wickets, bowling Cummins’ team out for 199.
Australia also slumped to a 134-run defeat by South Africa in pool play but avenged that loss with a tense three-wicket semi-final win over the Proteas in Kolkata on Thursday.
Virat Kohli, who is on fire, scored a record 50th ODI century as India crushed New Zealand by 70 runs in Mumbai to advance to the final.
Kohli is leading the tournament batting with 711 runs, including three hundreds, having eclipsed fellow countryman Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 tonnes.
With 550 runs, Rohit is now the second-best batsman in India. His leadership has garnered significant plaudits; former England captain Nasser Hussain referred to him as a “real hero”.
With Mohammed Shami claiming 23 wickets in six games, including a 7-57 against the Kiwis on Wednesday, India also have the best bowler in the tournament.
Australia has recovered even though they lost their opening two tournament matches to South Africa and India.
After Glenn Maxwell, who was hobbling, scored an unblemished 201 not out against Afghanistan, his side won seven straight league games. This performance helped them reach their victory target of 292.
When it comes to bowling, leg-spinner Adam Zampa leads the team with 22 wickets, while Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc—both members of the 2015 World Cup winning team—are at their best when it comes to timing.
A rematch of the 2003 World Cup final, in which Australia defeated India by 125 runs in Johannesburg, was made possible by the new-ball duo’s efforts, which saw South Africa reduced to 24-4 in Kolkata.
The two sides’ ODI encounter on Sunday will be their eighth of 2023.
Similar to them, but with us. They are a really good team that has dominated the competition the entire time. They have no true flaws as a team, so Sunday looks good.”
India defeated New Zealand 397–4 in the first semi-final thanks to an outstanding start from opener Rohit (47), and Shubman Gill (80 not out after retiring injured).
Hazlewood, though, would have rather focused on the opening moments of India’s pool chase against Australia, when the hosts were trailing by three runs and needed to win by a manageable 200 runs.
In response to being faced with the Indian top-order, Hazlewood stated, “Hopefully similar to last time we played them.”
They were removed at a low cost. It would be great if we could make them 3-3.
