Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes Australia will not be daunted by the magnitude of the event and will go all out in the 2023 World Cup final on November 19 in Ahmedabad.
In a mouth-watering clash featuring the world champions in five of the last six ODI World Cups, India and Australia will look to win their third and sixth titles, respectively. While the Men in Blue have been unbeaten through the tournament after 10 games, the Aussies have won eight consecutive outings after losing first two games.
In the semi-finals, both teams had intense matches against New Zealand and South Africa. These contrasting encounters led to an exciting showdown in the final.
In an interview with Sky Sports before the grand finale, Hussain expressed his belief that many players in the current team were involved in winning the 2015 World Cup. Considering Australia’s impressive cricket history, he emphasized that nothing less than a victory would be acceptable.
“Australia know how to win tournaments. Seven players were there in 2015 and a lot of them would have grown up seeing great Australian sides win World Cups. That is what you are expected to do as an Australian cricketer. It’s not to turn up and listen to the Indian crowd cheer on Kohli, you are expected to turn up and win World Cups and that’s the only thing Cummins and his side will have in their mind.”
Nasser Hussain
Team India beat Australia by six wickets in their league stage match in Chennai.
The teams also competed in two bilateral series against each other, with each winning 2-1.
“Like that about an individual in a team or a leader is that you can turn things around” – Nasser Hussain on Pat Cummins
Nasser Hussain complimented Australian captain Pat Cummins for reviving himself and the team after a poor start to their 2023 World Cup campaign.
In their first two matches, India and South Africa defeated the five-time champions, who were considered strong contenders. This unexpected outcome raised doubts about Cummins’ abilities as a leader.
However, the 30-year-old has led the side to a brilliant turnaround of winning eight consecutive games since.
“It’s not about what happens to you, it’s about how you react to what happens to you. He was under pressure in the Ashes and when they lost the first two games here, there were talks about Cummins also because his personal form wasn’t great. I like that about an individual in a team or a leader is that you can turn things around and I think he has.”
Nasser Hussain
Apart from taking 13 wickets in the competition, Cummins has played crucial roles with the bat in Australia’s exciting triumphs against Afghanistan and South Africa in the semi-finals.
“The fielding display that they put on against South Africa was poor, they lost that game and then they have reacted brilliantly. India might have won 10 on the bounce, but Australia have won eight on the bounce and Cummins’ own game has improved and with him the team.”
Nasser Hussain
Pat Cummins guided Australia to win in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India earlier this year.
If Australia defeats India in the 2023 World Cup final, it would be their third ICC trophy in the previous two years, following the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2023 World Cup.