IND 2/0 (0.5 ov, Rohit Sharma 2*, Shubman Gill 0*, Mitchell Starc 0/2) – Live – India vs Australia, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 2023, Final Match Live Score, Summary،
It will be Mitchell Starc with the first over of a World Cup final…
1.57pm Hello everyone. Great to be with you. What will the next eight hours have in store? Very interesting call by Pat Cummins at the toss. Quite incredible noise in the middle.
1.55pm It’s time for the national anthems. Advance Australia Fair followed by Jana Gana Mana. Over to Andrew McGlashan to take you through the early exchanges. Cheers
Devesh Tiwari: “As a 90s kid who secretly admired Dravid even over Tendulkar, I really want to see Dravid lift the trophy. WC Test Championship, T20 World Cup – both lost. Who has written today’s script?”
Shah Zaib : “Cummins body language at the toss reminded me The Great Imran Khan (1992 World Cup Final), Tons of confidence in his leadership “
Suresh: “One more WC2003 vibe where India won toss and choose to field. Looks like century from captain Rohit like Ponting in 2003”
TVR: “I am going to lose it if Starc gets Rohit bowled on a charge…”
Mustafa Moudi: “Why would you bowl first against a side, who are coming into this match with 5 consecutive wins batting first that too all by huge margins, the smallest being 70 Runs in the SF against NZ ?? Poor decision by Cummins !!”
SMS: “Are we in for a rematch of 2003 WC final but with role reversal? Cummins winning the toss and electing to field reminds me of Ganguly.”
1.31pm Rohit and Cummins are out in the middle for the toss on a hot afternoon in Ahmedabad. Unchanged Australia win the toss and choose to bowl first. Brave call from Cummins? India are unchanged as well. So, no Ashwin. No Stoinis for Australia.
Cummins: Looks like a bit of a dry wicket and wanted to bowl first. Dew is one factor and it’s quite dewy in the night at this venue. Been really proud of the group. Tough start to the tournament but they haven’t put a foot wrong since. Same team as the semi-final
Rohit: I would’ve batted first. Big game and runs on the board. It’s going to be amazing. The biggest occasion, in terms of cricketing events. We got to stay nice and calm. It’s a great feeling and I said it at the PC (Press Conference) yesterday as well – it’s a dream come true to captain the team in the final. We’re playing the same team.
Australia: 1 Travis Head, 2 David Warner, 3 Mitch Marsh, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Josh Inglis (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
India: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammed Siraj
YoKo: “Rohit has been so much like BMac from 2015, I am afraid of Starc doing a BMac to him in the final.”
1.20pm This game will be played on pitch no.5. “It’s different from the one used for India vs Pakistan,” says Ravi Shastri in his pitch report. “It looks very dry on the surface and not much rolling. It looks dry and patchy, especially in the area where spinners land the ball. During the Pakistan game, there was a little bit of sheen because of rolling. Batting first and getting runs on the board is premium but a side like India that has all bases covered won’t be bothered.” Hayden reckons Zampa will be the X-factor with the ball for Australia.
Shah Zaib : “With all the talk of Ash, I guess Marnus will play for Aus. “
lakesidey: “Ashwin for SKY would be a lovely twist…while I love SKY, the thought of Ash and Sir Jaddu bowling in tandem is…chef’s kiss!”
Vijay: “Muthu, what were you doing during the 2011 World Cup final?” — I was doing my undergrad in Chemical Engineering. Ha! I can recall dashing out of college early, sprinting like Usain Bolt from Kodambakkam railway station to my home in T. Nagar in Chennai to follow the game on TV. It was a special feeling to see Thala finish it off in style. Wow! That bat twirl. Still feels special. What does today have in store?
Rakesh: “Not sure India will bring in Ashwin for SKY. That leaves lower-order batting really thin. Rohit, Gill, Kohli, Rahul, Iyer will be the only proper batsmen then. If anything, it should be Siraj for Ashwin, but I don’t think it will happen either. Fantastic proposition to watch”
Kishore: “I totally agree with adding Ash to the playing 11! I feel that playing Ash instead of SKY. Siraj is in great touch, and he can undoubtedly trouble the top orders of Aus!Go ash!!! Go india!!!”
Arun: “Hello from Berlin. Watching the screening of the match at a small theatre today with 200 of us. Cricket makes you feel at home. Go India!”
1.05pm Many thanks, Abhimanyu. Hello, everyone. Are you ready? India vs Australia. The world title is on the line. We’re about half an hour away from the toss. Will Australia consider giving Marcus Stoinis a go or will they stick with Marns Labuschagne on what is expected to be a dry pitch? Will India throw R Ashwin into the mix in the big final? Just a reminder: the chasing team has won three of the four games so far in Ahmedabad in this World Cup. Australia were the only side to win batting first at this venue. Runs on the board once again in a final?
Prasanna S: “Rohit’s suspense in keeping final eleven a secret makes me believe India will play Ashwin today. Just like Sreesanth who played the first game and final in 2011 WC. Ashwin can be our lucky gem (that Sunny called Sreesanth that WC) in this final who knows.. “
It’s the big India vs Australia ODI World Cup final. Track our LIVE ball-by-ball commentary in Hindi as well as in Tamil
If you’re in the USA, tune in to ESPN+ for the LIVE broadcast of the India vs Australia ODI World Cup final
Abhilash: “How fascinating that India and Australia started their world cup against each other and will end it the same way”
Chan: “Everyone is comparing current India to Australia of 2003 and 2007. Both times australia have won 11 matches in the respective world cup. Hope India matches the feat”
1.02pm Toss is in half an hour. And it’s time to welcome Deiva to the comms box.
Jasprit Bumrah: “[On playing his first World Cup final] I was talking to my family and spoke to my wife that last year in this moment, you miss the World Cup and exactly one year later you are here in the final at the place where you started playing so you can’t ask for anything else. There are lot of distractions going on so it’s very important to stay focused, keep the process. I’m not treating it any differently. What has worked for us, sticking to our strengths, our processes. That’s helped us a lot. Whatever has happened is over, we have to stay in the present. All of us are enjoying our company. Shami bhai is on a roll and Siraj is also doing well. A lot of chatter, we all try to help each other. “
David Warner: “It’s just a sea of blue isn’t it? It’s absolutely incredible. The magnitude of this stadium is crazy. It’s electric. I can’t wait for ball one. The first game was on a slow and low pitch and we don’t know what to expect from this wicket. Me and Heady will try to do what we do in the first ten, get a quick start and build a platform. [On the fielding against SA] I think that goes with the tone set by the fast bowlers as well. That was probably our best performance in terms of fielding. [On the message from the leadership] Just relax and embrace it. Not a lot of pressure on us here. We just want to deliver our best and hopefully the World Cup comes back to us. I can say for the first time I was a bit nervous, but after a round of golf yesterday, I’m in a great frame of mind.”
Mitchell Starc: “”[On treating it as just another game] To some degree it is,to another degree it is a World Cup final in India. Everyone knows how passionate this country is about cricket. I think we are going to enjoy the spectacle and its going to be a great World Cup final. You have to embrace everything that comes with today. Obviously the noise today, we haven’t even started yet and we can barely hear each other. [On Australia’s winning habit] It’s something that’s been ingrained from past legends. We haven’t played out best this tournament but we found a way with different players standing up. We’ve all played a lot of cricket in India. I would say it’s nothing new but it’s certainly going to be very loud. MCG in 2015 was the loudest I’ve played cricket in and today I hope it’s equally quiet because that would mean we are on top. [On Hazlewood and Cummins] We have sort of grown up together. We’ve won World Cups together in both formats, and the Test Championship. If we win today it will add to special memories together.”
Syamprasad: “Just now gone through the preview by AFF, it was so juicy that I can’t wait to have the full meals of final. ESPN Cricinfo, just hats off to you for presenting the cricket action in the best way that can not be done by any one on this planet other than you.!”
12.40pm The final is a delicious prospect. If it is competitive, it could be a cliffhanger, writes Ian Chappell in his column.
12.35pm How close are India of 2023 to Australia of 2003 and 2007? Who better to answer than Matthew Hayden himself.
“Although a neutral, I’m hoping India win for selfish reasons because if Australia win their sixth title, no team can realistically reach them in my lifetime, seeing as though the nearest would be on two (India, West Indies). I love one-day cricket and so I’m hoping it’s not ‘game over’ for me! Good luck both teams, may the best win,” says Mike Brearley, but I suspect this is not that Mike Brearley.
Shashank Kishore, who is reporting from the ground, has this to say: “The stadium is around 60% full at the moment. The noise inside is unbelievable, I fear for the press box glass shattering with all the vibration. India’s support staff have just arrived to set up their pre-match training routine, with stumps and bats and everything else they need. Australia yet to be seen. It’s sunny, a bit muggy. There was thick haze in the morning.”
12.30pm So, today the 2023 World Cup will come to a conclusion. The tournament has seen some absolute thrillers. From individual brilliance to team efforts, we’ve seen it all. So which was the best game of the World Cup? Go ahead and have your say.
Neal : “What chance of Ravi Ashwin playing? Although it would be extremely tough on Siraj, I believe Ashwin improves India’s chances of victory. ” Rohit Sharma has been quite tight-lipped about India’s combination and said they will pick the team based on the conditions, India’s strengths and Australia’s weaknesses. Make of that what you will.
For those of you in the USA, you can watch the final live on ESPN+
Abinash Das: “There will be tremendous pressure and expectations from the pages of history but history won’t repeat itself automatically, it’s up to the gladiators on the battlefield who will decide if history will be re-written or repeated.”
12.12pm Sanjay Manjrekar, at the ground, says the pitch has black soil which should retain moisture and could give an advantage to teams bowling first.
Mustafa Moudi: “Waited for this World Cup for More than 4 years and cant believe its going to be over today. From de Kock’s unstoppable form to England’s slump to upsets from Netherlands and Afghanistan to Bizarre Timed Out to Maxwell’s unbelievable to Kohli’s 50th Century.. This World Cup has given us lots of moment to cherish. All the Best to both the sides !!”
Vin S.: “Hello from the High Desert of northern New Mexico, USA.Getting ready to pull an all-nighter as it’s only 11” Hope you have plenty of coffee handy!
12pm Enough about what has happened and moving to what can happen. Where will this game be won, tactically? How important will the powerplay be? How should the two teams line up? It’s all been explored by Sid Monga on his tactics board.
“I can’t believe that you started the commentary so early – or that I checked it so early. Being an Aussie, I know Aus can win and I certainly hope they do. But I also know that India could slaughter them.” Kath, we just couldn’t contain our excitement!
11.40am Australia face two big challenges playing in Ahmedabad. First, the pitch, which was also used for India’s league stage thrashing of Pakistan, and the crowd at the daunting Motera stadium, with a large majority of the 132,000-odd fans expected to be supporting the home team. But Australia skipper Pat Cummins is not too bothered about either of those. He played down any pitch advantage India may enjoy, saying it’s not much of a factor. And the crowd? Well, there’s nothing more satisfying than silencing one, he says.
Rohit Sharma, meanwhile, is quite relaxed heading into the big game, feeling neither ‘too excited’ nor much pressure.
Kritesh: “I think you have misread Prasanna S’s comment. He wants Ash in place of Kuldeep, not Siraj!! The team composition will be same. ” Ah, my bad. I didn’t even think of that as a possibility, because in my mind, there is absolutely no need to drop Kuldeep Yadav, who is a much more attacking spinner, for Ashwin.
11.30am It’s the big India vs Australia ODI World Cup final. Track our LIVE ball-by-ball commentary in Hindi as well as in Tamil
john: “If India win the toss, they should bat. I forget who said this but I completely agree with them “In a final, if you win the toss 10 times, you should bat first 9 times and the 10th time, let them bowl first”” This comment, coming ahead of an India-Australia World Cup final, has definitely got me chuckling.
11.15am So how did the two teams get here? Alex Malcolm has mapped Australia’s route while Shashank Kishore has followed the trail that India have blazed.
Prasanna S: “Prepared this comment yesterday.5 reasons Ashwin should play ahead of Kuldeep.1. 1st game vs Aus 10-1-34-1 better than Kuldeep2. Aus-NZ – Aus 388 Glenn Philips 10-0-37-3 (Warner, Head wickets)3. 2015 WC semi Aus – 328 Ash 10-0-42-1 (best) 4. 2011 WC Q/F vs Aus here did well 10-0-52-25. No.8 bat in a final !!Overall Ash will do well than Kuldeep against Aus. Remember how India missed Ashwin in WTC final !!Horses for courses.” Firstly, kudos on preparing a comment from a day in advance! As for the subject matter itself, I’d still go with Siraj. If Hardik had been available, India could have chanced three spinners, but just two quicks may be too few. And Kuldeep and Jadeja have done their roles quite well so far. Of course, Ashwin does give India a different dimension, but I’d be more inclined towards playing Siraj. Let’s see what the team management thinks, though.
10.50am This World Cup has provided plenty of narratives within itself, but there is a larger storyline to be completed for one man involved in the final. You can read about Rahul Dravid and his arc of redemption, authored by Sidharth Monga.
And well, it is a long wait till toss time, and we are talking about Rahul Dravid. So here’s a little jam on Jammy in the meantime that’s been playing on loop in my head to keep you entertained. His role right now is slightly different, though, from keeping bowling attacks at bay and piling on the runs. But his role in India getting to the final should not be understated, although he seems just the kind of man to understate it himself.
10.40am India have been like the sun and Australia, Jupiter – the next-most massive body in the solar system, but dwarfed still by the greater celestial body, or so writes Andrew Fidel Fernando in his preview. Hop over there for everything you need to know heading into the match.
“Dear ESPNcricinfo fans, wishing you all a happy final day.” And to you, Kannan!
“Hope the team did not spend a sleepless night like me. Refreshing summary page of Cricinfo since 9, hoping for an early start! All the best, Men in Blue.” You got what you wanted, DrD! Although, 9 would have been way too early for me! *Yawns*
10.30am The roads to the final have been contrasting for India and Australia, two teams heavily tipped to face off in the grand finale before the tournament started. Here’s what our editor-in-chief Sambit Bal penned down about this game between two trains on a collision course.
10.20am Forty five days and 47 matches later, here we are. In around 12 hours or so, we will find out which of these two goliaths will be crowned the new ODI world champions. India and Australia meet in a World Cup final for the first time since 2003. For Australia, it’s a chance to lift the title for the sixth time. For India, it’s a hunt to end a trophy drought that goes back a decade, and become just the second team to win the World Cup three times.
Unlike 2003, this time India look the favourites, almost breezing through to the final, quality teams blown away in their wake. But Australia are no underdogs. They are, of course, serial winners who are usually the ones bullying other teams in these competitions, and have shown through this campaign their tenacity and ability to pull a result out of nowhere.
World Cup finals have given us a few epics, none more so than the last one, and this one promises to be a bout for the ages, with plenty of players on both sides highly capable of delivering the knockout blow.
So ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats and strap in, for we are in for a bumpy ride. Deivarayan Muthu and Andrew McGlashan will be your pilots today, and I’m Abhimanyu, your in-flight entertainment till the pilots have had their coffee and settled into the cockpit.
