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

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.

The final promises to be a rivetting contest and PTI looks at match-ups that could potentially decide the winner.

Rohit Sharma versus new ball of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood

India captain Rohit Sharma has walked the talk by taking on the bowlers in the opening powerplay throughout the tournament. His high-risk game has released the pressure of the other batters and allowed the likes of Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill to build their innings.

Rohit dancing down the track and dispatching Trent Boult over cover for a six in the third over of the semifinal summed up the Indian skipper's fearless approach over the course of the long and draining tournament.

The big question is can he pull it off against Hazlewood and Starc in the opening powerplay on Sunday. While batting first or chasing, India will rely heavily on Rohit, who was trapped in front by Hazlewood in the league game against Australia in Chennai. Hazlewood will continue to ask questions with his seam movement while Starc will be looking for a banana inswinger that has troubled Rohit