Cricket World Cup 2023 Final: 5 Key Player Battles To Watch Out For

18.11.2023 - 11:35 sports.ndtv.com

India and Australia -- the two best teams of the 2023 ODI World Cup -- have duly made their way to the final, promising a series of fascinating individual battles between the fierce rivals.

India, the only unbeaten side in the tournament, have hardly put a foot wrong while Australia have never looked back after recovering from back-to-back losses in the beginning of the competition.

As a unit, India have performed better than Australia and are favourites to lift the coveted trophy at home after 12 long years.

On the other hand, Australia are not used to coming second when a global trophy is at stake and five titles in seven final appearances are a testament to their envious record.

cricket Australia Cricket Team India Cricket Team cup player watch Mitchell Starc Virat Kohli Josh Hazlewood Rohit Sharma Adam Zampa Trent Boult Mohammed Shami Jasprit Bumrah Australia India

Suryakumar Yadav is excited to captain India in the T20s against Australia but says it will take time to move on from the heartbreaking loss in the ODI World Cup final three days ago. The scheduling in international cricket is such that both India and Australia will return to the field in the opening game of the five-match T20 series starting here on Thursday, albeit with a different set of players, 96 hours after the World Cup final in Ahmedabad. Surya, who could have done more in India's near-perfect campaign in the World Cup, was expectedly asked about the ill-fated Sunday night on the eve of the T20 series opener. "It is difficult it will take time, it can't be that you wake up next morning and you forget everything what happened. It was a long tournament. We would have loved to win it," said Surya, who will lead the side in Hardik Pandya's absence.

On India's Batting In Cricket World Cup 2023 Final, Gautam Gambhir's 'Not Brave Enough' Verdict

Former Indian cricket team batter Gautam Gambhir was not pleased with the approach taken by Rohit Sharma and Co while batting in the Cricket World Cup 2023 final against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. India were all out for 240 and in response, Travis Head played a phenomenal knock to guide the Aussies to a record-extending sixth World Cup title. Gambhir pointed out that it is the 'most courageous' team who have the advantage in games like the World Cup final and the Indian batters were not aggressive or courageous in their approach after a good start.

"Half A Chance Of...": Pat Cummins On Reason Behind Cricket World Cup 2023 Final Toss Decision

Australian cricket team skipper Pat Cummins surprised a lot of experts and fans with his decision to bowl first after winning the toss in the Cricket World Cup 2023 final against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. However, his choice was proven to be the right one as the Aussies went on to win the match and claim a record-extending sixth World Cup title. While the conventional thinking dictates that teams prefer to set the target in crucial matches, Cummins decided to follow the trend of results at the venue where three out of the last fours times the game was won by the side batting second.

Mohammed Shami's Mother Hospitalised During Cricket World Cup 2023 Final: Report

Mohammed Shami's mother, Anum Ara, was taken to a hospital near Sahashpur village in the Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh after she fell ill during the Cricket World Cup 2023 final between India and Australia on Sunday, according to a report by Times of India. The report claimed that she complained of nervousness and fever during the match and Shami's relatives took him to the local hospital for a checkup. She was later transferred to another health centre after the initial treatment and the report added that her condition is now stable. "She was admitted to the hospital due to fever and nervousness. Now, her condition is normal." Shami's cousin Dr Mumtaz told The Times of India.

Watch: Another Brainfade? Steve Smith's Mistake That Almost Became Costly For Australia In Cricket World Cup 2023 Final

Steve Smith made a huge mistake by not taking a crucial review despite being not-out during the Cricket World Cup 2023 final between India and Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. During the seventh over of the Australian innings, a slower delivery from Jasprit Bumrah crashed into Smith's pads and the entire India team went up in appeal. The umpire gave him out and although Smith was a bit interested, he was advised by Travis Head to not go for a review. However, replays showed that the impact of the ball was outside the off-stump and the decision would have been reversed.

Virat Kohli Emerges As Player Of The Tournament For Outstanding Show In Cricket World Cup 2023

India's batting talisman Virat Kohli ended the ICC World Cup 2023 campaign as the Player of the Tournament and leading run-scorer of the marquee event. The 36-year-old ended his ODI World Cup 2023 journey as the leading run-scorer of this prestigious tournament with a total of 765 runs. Kohli scored 54 runs off 63 deliveries in the final against the triumphant Australian team at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. However, he had a fantastic campaign overall, with three tonnes and six half-centuries at an average of 101.57 and a strike rate of 90.69.