(ICC) - Australia’s bowlers produced a masterclass to bounce back from a powerplay blitz and tie India in knots, restricting the tournament hosts to 240 all out in the first innings of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 final.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bowl first in Ahmedabad in front of a packed crowd. But it was India who got off to a flier, inspired once more by captain Rohit Sharma.

The early loss of Shubman Gill didn’t halt India’s attacking momentum, as Rohit and Virat Kohli racked up the runs in the first ten overs, with 80 runs coming in the first powerplay, equalling the record for a men's Cricket World Cup final.

However, the departure of the skipper for 47 from 31 balls was followed by Shreyas Iyer for 4 in the very next over, and the match took an abrupt turn from that moment on, as the runs dried up through the middle overs.

Looking to rebuild in the face of some excellent bowling on a tricky surface, Kohli and KL Rahul bedded in, ensuring India reached at least a competitive total.

Wickets fell frequently as Australia’s bowling attack looked to press home their advantage, and the final Indian wicket came off the last ball of the innings, with the total at just 240.

Pat Cummins’ 2/34 from ten overs summed up the effort from the Aussie pacers, with Mitchell Starc taking 3/55 and Josh Hazlewood 2/60. Adam Zampa provided good control through the middle, finishing with 1/44, while Glenn Maxwell’s 1/35 from six overs included the crucial wicket of Rohit.

The innings fell into two distinct sections. Nine fours and three sixes were struck in the first powerplay as India reached 80/2. But in the following 240 balls of the innings, there were no further sixes, only four boundaries and just seven twos – with all other runs coming in singles.

(ICC) - Australia skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bowl first in Ahmedabad at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 final.

Final: Australia to bowl first against India

Australia captain Pat Cummins called it right and elected to bowl first. India skipper Rohit Sharma believed that batting first suited his team best.

Both sides played the same XI that featured for them in the finals.

After 46 days and 47 games of cricket, we have finally reached the concluding part of the Cricket World Cup. Two-time winners India have bossed the tournament like no other side. The hosts played at nine venues during the event and won all their games.

Their batting has fired on all cylinders and their bowling attack has been enviable. In their previous outing at Ahmedabad in the World Cup, they won an important clash against arch-rivals, Pakistan by seven wickets.

On the other hand, Australia have brushed aside an indifferent start to win eight games on a trot. The five-time champions have been the second-best side in the tournament in terms of results, and have all the resources to upend India.

In their last outing at this venue, they beat old rivals England by 33 runs. 

Barring an injury to Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma’s side hasn’t faced many concerns with their personnel. 15 players have featured for the side in the tournament, although of late the team has worn a steady look.

After missing out on some key personnel due to injury or personal reasons, the Australian side has also settled into the groove. 

Playing XIs:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.

Australia: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

 

 

 

 

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