India and Australia will meet in the final of the 2023 World Cup at Ahmedabad on Sunday (November 19) – Sarah Waris picks out the key player battles to watch out for.
India won all 10 matches so far and defeated New Zealand by 70 runs in the semi-finals. Sunday’s summit clash will see them face Australia, who began their World Cup campaign on October 8.
Australia lost their first two matches in the tournament, but bounced back with eight consecutive wins, most recently facing South Africa in the semi-finals.
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Josh Hazlewood vs Rohit Sharma
Hazlewood was perhaps Australia’s best fast bowler at the World Cup, but he will face a difficult task in the final as he faces India captain Rohit Sharma. Rohit started his first powerplay of the tournament, but Hazlewood were economical, conceding just 3.91 runs per over. Rohit will be looking to bat like he did during the World Cup, but he has found it difficult to play against Hazlewood, who has a strike rate of 77, in the past.
Quick had dismissed Rohit lbw early in the tournament and managed to keep him quiet, though this was the only time he picked up a wicket.
Jasprit Bumrah vs David Warner
Warner is the only batsman who faced Bumrah more than eight times in ODIs and was never dismissed. Warner is one of the few batsmen who has managed to defeat India quickly in this format. He will face a bowler with a 3.14 save percentage on his first power play of the tournament. The left-hander, on the other hand, was prolific with his sixes in his first 10 overs, just like Rohit. With Mohamed Siraj already proving inconsistent at the World Cup, the onus is on Bumrah to keep both openers quiet.
Adam Zampa vs Virat Kohli
Kohli fans please look away. Kohli was dismissed 18 times by leg-spinners in ODIs, five of which were against Zampa. India’s number 3 has also lost to him three times in T20Is, making him his fourth most successful bowler in all formats.
Kohli played well against Zampa in the first World Cup match in Chennai, hitting 24 balls off 23 deliveries, and he will likely come into bat with a similar attitude this time as well.
Ravindra Jadeja vs Steve Smith
An image of Smith giving a thumbs up to Jadeja during this year’s India-Australia Test series drew criticism, but it was also a recognition that he was the kind of left-arm spinner who had achieved a to-keep batsman. This year alone, Jadeja has dismissed Smith five times in international cricket, four of them in Tests and once when both teams met in a World Cup match in Chennai. Of the five innings, Smith bowled his three and the keeper stopped his one. This shows how accurate Jadeja was.
R Ashwin vs Australia’s openers
If the final track is a used one again, India may be tempted to start Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj. Ashwin has played just one game in the World Cup against Australia in Chennai and could be a problem for the top left-hander.
The off-spinner has had an excellent record against Warner, getting him dismissed 17 times across all formats. The openers are also struggling with their strike rate against spinners and Rohit could take a risk by having Ashwin play the new ball alongside Bumrah, which does not bother Warner too much.
Ashwin has had a stellar record against left-handers overall, and Head also struggled against off-spinners. He has scored just 75.7 hits in 31 innings against them, and the prospect of Ashwin keeping Australia’s heavy hitters at bay in the powerplay could be attractive to India. unknown.
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