AHMEDABAD: India and Australia have faced off in some of the most engaging contests in recent times and a new chapter to their rivalry will be added when they contest 50-over cricket’s ultimate glory in Sunday’s World Cup final in Ahmedabad.

The familiar foes will conclude their campaign like they started it, against each other, and none of the 130,000-odd seats at the Narendra Modi Stadium will be empty.

Favourites India comprehensively beat number two-ranked Australia in their tournament opener and then strung together 10 wins in a row to storm into the final of their home World Cup with an unblemished record.

Rohit Sharma’s side will look to end a 10-year global title drought as they seek a third World Cup triumph to add to their 1983 and 2011 victories, the last of which came on home soil.

Despite the country’s cricket riches, India are without a major international title since the 2013 Champions Trophy and expectations in the cricket-crazy nation of 1.4 billion people have reached fever pitch.

Five-time champions Australia, by contrast, began with two defeats before going on an eight-match winning streak.

“This is going to be an unbelievable game,” former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who was part of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, told TV channel India Today.

“You are playing against the five-time champions, a team that knows how to come back from almost impossible situations, who know how to play finals, how to win finals. So I believe it will be a real, real challenge for the Indian team but I do believe that Rohit Sharma’s men are up for it.”

Apart from their five World Cup titles, Australia clinched their maiden T20 crown in 2021 and also beat India convincingly in the World Test Championship final earlier this year.

Sharma and his team’s semi-final victory against New Zealand, considered their bogey side, has answered questions about India’s fragility in knockouts.

Sharma has led by example, with unbridled aggression at the top allowing others to play with more freedom.

Virat Kohli, , who surpassed compatriot Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 tons — leading the tournament batting with 711 runs including three hundreds, has been the trusted anchor, while others have batted around the senior duo in India’s familiar template.

Their bowling, aided by the knowledge of home conditions, has been equally impressive.

Jasprit Bumrah has stifled batters both with the new ball and in the death overs while Mohammed Shami has emerged as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker despite warming the bench in India’s first four matches, taking 23 wickets including 7-57 against the Kiwis on Wednesday.

The left-arm duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja have shared the spin duties with considerable success.

Their bowling has been so impressive that they are yet to chase any total over 273 runs in this tournament and restricted the opposition to sub-100 scores twice and under-200 scores two other times. Among them, Australia were bowled out for 199 in its tournament-opening match at Chennai on Oct. 8.

‘WIN IT FOR DRAVID’

Sharma said he wants to win the title for coach Rahul Dravid who was part of the India team which suffered a crushing 125-run defeat at the hands of Australia in the 2003 World Cup final in Johannesburg.

“His role has been absolutely massive,” Rohit told reporters on Saturday. “Clearly, looking at how Rahul himself has played his cricket and how I am playing these days, obviously it’s quite contrasting.

“For him to agree and give me that freedom and liberty to go and play the way we want to play, that says a lot about him. Obviously, what he has done for Indian cricket is massive. And he also feels that he wants to be part of this big occasion. And it’s for us to do it for him.”

Expectation in the cricket-mad country is particularly high since the last three editions of the tournament have been won by the host nation.

Australia, however, are banking on their ability to lift themselves in big moments to gatecrash the Indian party and earn a sixth World Cup title.

Captain Pat Cummins and his men made heavy weather of a small target in Thursday’s semi-final against South Africa, but India would underestimate Australia at their own peril.

Glenn Maxwell can bat any team out of contention, as he did with his outrageous double century against Afghanistan and 40-ball 100 against the Netherlands.

In Adam Zampa they have a potent leg-spinner with 22 wickets in the tournament with pacemen Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who both played in the 2015 World Cup winning side, peaking at the right time.

Cummins’ courage under fire and unlikely heroics with the bat, however, have been vital in his team’s revival and he could become the fourth Australian captain to secure the global 50-over title on Sunday, joining Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.

“The team has done really well and if you win a World Cup that’s a real feather in your cap as a leader,” Waugh told News Ltd media. “That’s a legacy you can leave. You can never have that taken away from you. It’s a big moment for him and the team.”

Cummins, a member of the victorious 2015 side, was excited by having the opportunity to emulate the likes of Waugh and Ponting by leading the team to glory.

“It would be huge,” he told a pre-match press conference on Saturday. “We were all kids not too long ago, watching some of those great teams win the 1999, 2003, 2007 World Cups.

“To be captain would be an absolute privilege…it’d be awesome. It [the World Cup] has got the longest history of a world event where all the teams compete.

“You only get a shot at it every four years. So even if you have a long career, you might only play in two of these events. 2015 is still a career highlight for me, but I think tomorrow, if we win, might pip it.”

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2023