Former Australian middle-order batsman Michael Bevan has tipped India to win the 2023 World Cup final against Australia on Sunday in Ahmedabad. The former left-handed hitter believes the visitors have match-winners who can make a difference in the decider.
Team India has been utterly dominating in the 2023 World Cup, steamrolling opponents at will in the group stage, winning 9 of 9 games. They advanced to the final with a 70-run victory against New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium and appear set to win their third 50-over World Cup title.
Michael Bevan told ANI that the showdown between two teams in high form in the final would be quite the spectacle, adding that Ahmedabad will be a batting track. He stated:
“Reaching the World Cup final is a tremendous achievement something that doesn’t happen very often. We have two teams playing in the final who are at their top form. The Australians have a lot of talents and have players who can make a difference at any point in a game. I believe the Aussies need to improve their batting.”
Michael Bevan
He added:
“India are the clear favourite but the potential for Australia to win the ODI World Cup 2023 is also there. Whoever wins the toss will be going to bat first, since it is a good batting team. After a slow start in the tournament, they have made a tremendous comeback.”
Michael Bevan
The five-time champions faced a setback with two initial losses in the tournament. However, they rebounded strongly and won eight consecutive matches. In an intense semi-final match, the Men in Yellow emerged victorious over South Africa to secure a spot in the final.
India got the better of Australia in the group stage
Aside from their current record, Team India will be buoyed by their victory over Australia earlier in the competition in Chennai. The Australians fought spin from Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravichandran Ashwin and managed just 199 runs, thanks to Steve Smith’s excellent 46.
Their new-ball bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc took early wickets, cutting the hosts’ lead to 2-3. Nonetheless, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul’s 165-run partnership paved the way for an easy triumph. However, the game on Sunday, November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is expected to be considerably closer.