India vs Australia will play a multi-Test match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad today at 2 pm in the final match of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup series.
The Indian cricket team led by Rohit Sharma emerged as an unbeaten team in the league round with tremendous strength. The league finished top of the league with wins against all 9 teams it played against. In the semi-final round, they beat New Zealand by 70 runs to reach the final. The Indian team is going to play in the final round for the 4th time in the history of World Cup. Before this, the Indian team had played in the final in 1983, 2003 and 2011.
The Pat Cummins-led Australian team suffered two successive defeats in the league round and faced a crisis. The 5-time champions were at one point 10th in the points table. But after that, the team regained its senses and went on to the semi-finals by accumulating 7 wins in a row.
Especially Glenn Maxwell, who was in the grip of defeat in the game against Afghanistan team, fought with his injured body and scored a double century to win the team, which stunned everyone. The Australian team defeated South Africa by 3 wickets in the semi-final round and entered the final round for the 8th time.
In the current World Cup series, the Indian team is excelling in all fields like batting, bowling and fielding. Rohit Sharma’s attacking play in the opening overs and laying a good foundation has helped the middle-order batsmen to play boldly without fear of run-rate. Another great innings could emerge from Rohit Sharma who has amassed 550 runs at a strike rate of 124.
Similarly, Virat Kohli, who has become a run machine and has chased 711 runs, is ready to swing the bat once again. Shubman Gill who has added 350 runs, Shreyas Iyer who has added 526 runs and KL Rahul who has added 386 runs are also in great form. Suryakumar Yadav is the only player who hasn’t scored big runs. However, with today’s game being important, he might try extra hard to make the most of his opportunity.
Ravindra Jadeja has been consistently contributing as an all-rounder. With him, Kuldeep Yadav is the one who controls the opponent’s run accumulation in the middle overs. Especially, he knows the mood of the batsmen and bowls is seen as a highlight. This alliance may once again focus on demonstrating high-level performance.
In terms of fast bowling, the Indian players have performed amazingly throughout this series. Despite playing only 6 matches in the current series, Mohammed Shami has taken 23 wickets. He has been giving serious threat to the opposition batsmen and may put the Australian batsmen under pressure in today’s game.
Mohammed Shami’s performance proves the adage that ‘Batsmen can win matches, but bowlers can win series’. Jasprit Bumrah’s ankle-hitting yorkers and Mohammad Siraj’s consistent pace could also challenge Australia’s batting line-up. The black clay pitch to be used for today’s match is believed to favor spin. Due to this, the Indian team has a chance to field with 3 spinners. Ravichandran Ashwin may get a place in the playing XI if this happens.
Australia is looking to win the title for the 6th time. David Warner is strong in the team’s batting with 528 runs. With Travis Head in the opening batting, India’s bowling could be put to the test. Mitchell Marsh, who has accumulated 426 runs, and Glenn Maxwell, who has added 398 runs, are also able to add strength to the batting. However, the form of Steve Smith and Marnesh Labuschagne is worrying.
Their average did not exceed 38 in the current series. Today’s game is important so experienced Steve Smith may try to play responsibly. Meanwhile, the Australian team management may consider fielding Marcus Stoinis in place of Marnesh Labuschagne. In the semi-final match against the South African team, the Australian team won by fighting for a small goal. However, the Australian players are always good at dealing with their ability to fight hard in stressful moments and turn the tide of the game in their favour. This was seen in the semi-final and the league match against Afghanistan.
The team will not give up their fighting spirit at any moment of the game and will surely try to give challenges to the Indian team. The Josh Hazlewood-Mitchell Starc duo had been in the semi-final against South Africa in the opening overs. The back-to-form pacer may focus on putting pressure on the Indian batting line-up. On the other hand, Adam Zamba, who has taken 22 wickets in spin, can also give pressure in the middle overs.
If the Indian team wins today’s match, they will become the 2nd team to win the trophy without losing a single match. In this way, the Australian team had entered the World Cup series in 2003 and 2007 without losing a single match. India last won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. Since then, T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and two ICC Test Championship finals have all failed to clear the final hurdle. It is expected that the Indian team led by Rohit Sharma will realize the dream of 140 crore people by deciding this time.
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