Eyeing history, Team India are chasing their third ODI World Cup title on Sunday in Ahmedabad, as they take on Australia in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The visitors initially won the toss and opted to bowl and both sides have gone with the same team combination which they followed in the semi-finals. (IND vs AUS LIVE SCORE and LATEST UPDATES)
Ahead of the toss, India skipper Rohit Sharma could be seen giving his teammates one last motivational speech, in what looked like an animated war cry. The moment was caught on camera and the focus also shifted to former skipper Virat Kohli, who nodded to Rohit’s words in response.
Here is the video:
Ahead of the final, Kohli was the highest run-scorer in this tournament, amassing 726 runs in 11 matches. He looks set to finish as the top-scorer, and is way ahead of second-placed Quinton de Kock (594), and South Africa lose in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Rohit is third with 582 runs. During the semi-finals against New Zealand, Kohli also overtook Sachin Tendulkar to become the batter with most ODI tons (50). During the ongoing campaign, Kohli also has six half-centuries.
Meanwhile, the position for the highest wicket taker is up for grabs between Mohammed Shami and Adam Zampa. Shami overtook Zampa (22) with a seven-wicket haul in the semis and has taken 23 wickets overall. Jasprit Bumrah has an outside chance, and is fifth in the list with 18 dismissals.
After winning the toss, Aussie captain Pat Cummins said, “We are gonna have a bowl first. Looks like a dry wicket. Dew is a factor. It gets better to bat on. Tough start to the tournament, haven’t really put a foot wrong ever since. It’s all set up perfectly. We’ve played these guys a lot. Same team as the semi-final.”
Meanwhile, Rohit added, “I would have batted first. Looks a good pitch, big game, put runs on the board. It’s going to be amazing, everytime we play here, the crowd come out in large numbers. The biggest occasion in the cricketing event. We have to stay nice and calm. It’s a dream come true to be captaining the team in the final. I know what lies in front of us. We need to play well and get the result. You got to make the right decisions on the field. That’s something we’ve done consistently in the last 10 games. We are playing the same team.”
