IND vs AUS, World Cup 2023 final: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in focus as India take on resilient Australia in Ahmedabad

All eyes will be on captain Rohit Sharma and superstar batter Virat Kohli as India gets ready to take on 5-time champions Australia in the final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19.

India booked a spot in their fourth ODI World Cup final, while Australia reached the final of the competition for a record-extending eighth occasion. The Men in Blue were immaculate in the league stage, winning all nine of their matches, to top the points table.

Meanwhile, Australia recovered from losses against India and South Africa in their opening two league games to go on a seven-match winning streak to finish in third place in the group-stage.

Rohit’s men went on to beat New Zealand by 70 runs in the first semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 15, while the Aussies saw off South Africa in the second semi-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 16.

While India would be looking to win their third ODI World Cup title and the second one at home, Australia will be aiming to add a sixth ODI World Cup title to their collection. The two sides will be meeting in the final for the second time.

The last time they met in the final, Australia dominated India and won the match by 125 runs in Johannesburg. India head coach Rahul Dravid was part of the side that lost the 2003 final and will be hoping for a different result this time around.

WHAT THE CAPTAINS HAD TO SAY

India captain Rohit credited his bowling unit for the team’s success in the 2023 World Cup. He stressed that India has done well while batting first and also chasing in the tournament. India won its first five matches while chasing, and their next five matches having batted first.

“The bowlers have been brilliant for us in this tournament. When we started off, we were chasing in 4-5 games and restricting teams below 300 on Indian conditions was a great effort. It is not an easy job restricting batters in Indian conditions. In the second half of the tournament, when we were defending totals, we have done it quite clinically as well,” said Rohit.

Australia skipper Cummins said they still haven’t played a complete game in the tournament and have still found a way to win games, insisting that he’s taking confidence that they don’t have to be at their best to challenge teams. Australia registered close wins against New Zealand, Afghanistan, England and South Africa (semi-finals).

“I think one of the pleasing things is I still don’t feel like we’ve played the complete game. There have been no huge wins. We’ve had to fight for every win, but we’ve found a way to win. Different players have stood up at different times. So, I think taking that confidence, knowing that we don’t have to be at our absolute best to challenge any team we can find a way through it,” said Cummins.

TEAM NEWS

None of the teams have any major injuries to report. India conducted an optional training session on Friday which was attended by the likes of Rohit, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan and Prasidh Krishna. Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli were among the few who gave the optional practice session a miss.

Ashwin could be an option that the Indian team management could explore if the conditions favor spin-bowling in Ahmedabad. If they look to move in that direction, pacer Mohammed Siraj could make way for the experienced off-spinner.

As for Australia, Marnus Labuschagne’s spot could be up for contention given his struggles against Tabraiz Shamsi in the semi-final. The middle-order batter has scored 304 runs in nine innings and could make way for Marcus Stoinis in the final.

PITCH AND CONDITIONS

The Narendra Modi Stadium pitch has played wonderfully well at the World Cup 2023. In the four matches at the venue, three were won by the chasing team.

New Zealand comfortably chased down a 283-run target against England in the CWC 2023 opener in just 36.3 overs. India and Pakistan met at the gigantic venue, successfully chasing a 193-run target with 19.4 overs and 7 wickets to spare.

South Africa also chased down 245 runs in 47.3 overs with five wickets in hand. England were the only side that lost their match in Ahmedabad while chasing. The defending champions failed to chase down 287 runs, being bowled out by 253 runs in 48.1 overs.

The pitch for the final is expected to be another sporting one with the assistance of both batters and bowlers, where a score in excess of 260 can be considered par.

PROBABLE STARTING XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj/ R Ashwin.

Australia: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis (WK), Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (C), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.