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India vs Australia – World Cup Final 2023
In the Cricket World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, hosts India, two-time champions, set a target of 241 for Australia, who are five-time winners of the prestigious tournament.
Australia, having won the toss, opted to field first and successfully restricted India to a sub-par total of 240 all-out. Virat Kohli (54) and KL Rahul (66) were the standout performers for India, each scoring a half-century in their innings.
The unbeaten Indian team aims to maintain a flawless record of 11 victories with a win in Ahmedabad. On the other hand, Australia enters the final with an impressive eight-game winning streak, although they faced a setback in the group stage encounter against India.
Australia dominated in both fielding and bowling, limiting India to 240 all out. Winning the toss, Australian captain Pat Cummins elected to bowl, a decision India’s Rohit Sharma acknowledged they would have made as well.
Despite Rohit’s explosive start, Shubman Gill fell early to Mitchell Starc. Virat Kohli entered aggressively, but Rohit’s dismissal by Glenn Maxwell, courtesy of an exceptional catch from Travis Head, halted the momentum just shy of his half-century.
Marnus Labuschagne celebrated a half-century, while Cummins dismissed the in-form Shreyas Iyer. Kohli’s departure at 54 off 63 slowed India further. KL Rahul tried to anchor the innings, but the 10th over marked a boundary drought. Rahul eventually fell for 66 off 107, and the last recognized batters, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav, managed 14 runs before India concluded their innings at 240 in 50 overs.
In defense, India started well. Mohammed Shami, taking the new ball instead of Mohammed Siraj, removed David Warner in the second ball of his first over. Jasprit Bumrah then dismissed Mitchell Marsh. Despite their expense, these bowlers eliminated two of Australia’s formidable top-order batsmen.
As India and Australia collided in the World Cup final, the tension was palpable. Ravi Shastri’s pre-tournament prediction of these two as potential finalists seemed improbable when Australia struggled with two consecutive losses. However, their resurgence with eight consecutive wins led to this highly anticipated final, a fitting clash between two deserving teams for cricket’s most prestigious honor.
In Australia, where rugby reigns supreme, the pressure pales in comparison to the intense anticipation among Indian fans. The atmosphere is tense, akin to the night before a university exam. The wait for an ICC silverware has been a decade, and for a World Cup, it extends to 12 years since 2011.
Only Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin remain from the 2011 squad, adding emotional weight for cricket fans in their mid-30s, who vividly remember the heartbreak of March 23, 2003.
Highlights of India vs Australia: World Cup 2023 Final
- Australia won the toss and opted to bowl first.
- Rohit Sharma made a quick start, but Shubman Gill fell early to the Australian attack.
- Virat Kohli entered aggressively, but Australia struck back, claiming the wickets of Rohit and the in-form Shreyas Iyer.
- Despite Kohli and KL Rahul’s efforts, they struggled to accelerate. Kohli scored another half-century but eventually fell to Pat Cummins.
- Rahul managed a hard-fought half-century, but the dismissal of Ravindra Jadeja followed.
- Suryakumar Yadav couldn’t provide a strong finish to the innings.
- Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav combined to push India’s total to 240.
- In the opening over, Jasprit Bumrah conceded 15 runs, but Mohammed Shami dismissed David Warner with only his second ball.
- Bumrah took two more wickets in the first 10 overs, removing Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith.
- Staging a comeback, Travis Head reached a century off 95 balls, guiding Australia to 185/3 in 33.5 overs.
