In front of 130,000 spectators, AHMEDABAD-Rohit Sharma’s undefeated India will try to break a 10-year global title drought against five-time World Cup champions Australia on Sunday.
In addition to their victories in 1983 and 2011, the last of which was on home soil, India has won 10 straight games at the tournament.
Despite the nation’s wealth in cricket, India has n’t won an international championship since the 2013 Champions Trophy, and expectations in the 1.4 billion-strong cricket-crazed country are at an all-time high.
The hosts will face an Australian team that has won eight straight games and will compete in their eighth World Cup final, though.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, said on TV channel India Today,” This is going to be an unbelievable game.”
” You are competing against the five-time champions, a group that is skilled at winning finals and recovering from nearly hopeless circumstances.”
The Indian team will face a real, real challenge, but Rohit Sharma’s men are capable of handling it, in my opinion.
Australia defeated India soundly in the World Test Championship final earlier this year in addition to their five World Cup victories, clinching their first T20 crown in 2021.
In the group stage in Chennai four weeks ago, where Pat Cummins ‘ team was bowled out for 199, India dealt Australia a six-wicket mauling.
Australia suffered a 134-run loss to South Africa in Lucknow as well, but they made up for it on Thursday by defeating the Proteas by three wickets in tense semi-final games in Kolkata.
KOHLI, RED-HOT
India defeated New Zealand in the final by 70 runs in Mumbai, thanks to Virat Kohli’s record for his 50th ODI century.
With 711 runs, including three hundreds, Kohli leads the tournament batting, surpassing compatriot Sachin Tendulkar’s 49-ton record.
With 550 runs, Rohit is the next-best Indian batsman. Former England captain Nasser Hussain referred to him as a “real hero” for his leadership.
Mohammed Shami, the tournament’s top bowler, has scored 23 wickets for India in six games, including a 7-57 victory over the Kiwis on Wednesday.
Australia has recovered despite losing to South Africa and India in the tournament’s opening two games.
With a hobbling Glenn Maxwell, who led his team from 91–7 and carried them to their victory target of 292, they won seven league games on the trot.
With 22 wickets, leg-spinner Adam Zampa leads their team. Pacemen Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who both participated in the 2015 World Cup-winning team, reached their peak at the appropriate time.
After the Proteas on Thursday, Starc and Hazlewood forced South Africa to 24-24 in 12 overs. They chose to bat first, and their opponents only attempted catch-up.
After Australia raced to a 125-run victory in Johannesburg in 2003, Starc returned figures of 3–34 and Hazlewood grabbed 2–12 in the victory, which set up their second World Cup final against India.
The eighth ODI game between the two teams will take place on Sunday.
Hazlewood told reporters,” We’ve played them a lot, so we know them inside and out.”
” The same applies to us as it does to them. They have been a good team and have traveled throughout the competition. They do n’t really have any weaknesses, so they’re excited for Sunday.
AN EXPLOSIVE START
With a 397-4 score against New Zealand in the first semi-final, India got off to an explosive start thanks to openers Rohit ( 47 ) and Shubman Gill ( 80 ).
However, Hazlewood prefers to concentrate on India’s early pursuit of a modest 200 runs in the league match four weeks ago, when India was three down for two runs.
When tackling the Indian top-order, Hazlewood said,” Hopefully similar to last time we played them.”
” We obtained them at a discount.” We may have made them 3–3 so that would be ideal, in my opinion.
Sunday’s tickets have all been sold out, and Starc predicted a packed house. He also predicted that there would be “loud cricket.”