Team India is one match away from winning the ODI World Cup. They’re up against Australia. The final game is on Sunday at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Don’t underestimate Australia. They ranked third after the leagues. They fought tooth and nail against South Africa in the semi-final and won by three wickets. Many believe Australia could really challenge India.
Still, India’s the team to beat. They’ve won all their games in the tournament. In fact, they’ve won the last ten matches in a row.
Here are three reasons why India will triumph against Australia in the World Cup Final in 2023.
1. Australia Struggled to Reach the 2023 World Cup Final
Simply noted, one of the main reasons why India will win Australia in the 2023 World Cup is because they have been the better squad on paper. And, without mentioning the hosts’ evident dominance in all departments, we may reach that conclusion simply by looking at the journey the Aussies have walked to the final.
Pat Cummins and company needed to win a few games after losing their first two against India and South Africa. And, while they did it eight times in a row, there were multiple points where the run might have been broken.
Australia won an exciting game against New Zealand that they might have easily lost, and they were in a near-impossible scenario against Afghanistan until Glenn Maxwell did the unbelievable. Their matches over England and Pakistan were also not altogether one-sided, with the most recent semifinal triumph against the Proteas being a nail-biter.
Meanwhile, India has been in high gear since the commencement of the 2023 World Cup. Even if their victory streaks imply that they are evenly matched, there is a noticeable gap in the momentum with which the two teams enter this encounter.
2. Australia’s Middle Order
With 528 runs, David Warner is Australia’s highest run-scorer in the 2023 World Cup. Mitchell Marsh comes in second with 426 points. With 398 runs at an average of 66.33 and a strike rate of 150.18, Maxwell is the only middle-order batter who has had a significant impact.
Aside from Maxwell, there isn’t much to brag about. Steve Smith is yet to reach 300 runs, while Marnus Labuschagne has barely done so. Josh Inglis has 159 runs, and Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green have yet to show up with the bat.
Australia’s middle order, which now has Labuschagne at No. 5, is frail. With the exception of Maxwell, it does not inspire confidence, and even he is a hit-or-miss performer. It pales in contrast to the number of runs scored by Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul in the 2023 World Cup.
3. India’s Bowlers Dominate Their Opponents
Because Australia’s middle order is undercooked, spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav will be called upon. The two may not receive much help in Ahmedabad, but they will appreciate bowling against the likes of Smith and Labuschagne.
Prior to that, India’s quick bowlers had favorable matches. In the 2023 World Cup, Mohammed Shami averages approximately four against left-handers, and Australia has two up top in Warner and Travis Head. Mohammed Siraj, who has a sub-20 average against southpaws in 2023, is another bowler who prefers bowling to them.
Jasprit Bumrah has struggled against Warner, but the batsman has also struggled to keep the scoreboard going. Bumrah is also the type of bowler who can get anyone out on any given day, regardless of their head-to-head record.
India’s bowling assault is currently on another level, which is a big element in their favor ahead of the 2023 World Cup Final.