Ahmedabad: Massive enthusiasm is there amongst the cricket fans as the winner of the 2023 World Cup will be decided on Sunday after an India-Australia final. India have stepped into the title decider on the back of a dominating display in the marquee tournament against almost every opponent while Australia shaped their winning momentum after initial defeats thanks to opener David Warner coming into the groove and leg-spinner Adam Zampa registering himself in the wickets column.
India will be eyeing their third ODI World Cup title this time around while Australia are aiming to lift the silverware for the sixth time. However, ahead of the final game of the marquee tournament, the players who have experience to feature in the final of the ICC World Cup earlier are going to play a key role.
India have former skipper Virat Kohli, who was part of India's playing XI in the final of the World Cup in 2011 while ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was also part of the roster but didn't play in the lineup.
Australia have five players, who were in the playing XI of the final of the 2015 World Cup when the team won the trophy by beating New Zealand in Melbourne. David Warner, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell were key batters in the squad while Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were handling the pace department.
In total, there are six players from both teams who have been part of the playing XI in the final for their respective countries except for Ravichandran Ashwin, who was part of the squad but was not in the final of the marquee tournament held at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Although India have a numerical minority on their side, the Kohli factor can be the biggest element which might make an impact on the result of the game.
When India lifted the ICC ODI World Cup trophy in 2011, 23-year-old Virat Kohli managed a small contribution of 35 runs and also carried his idol Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders during the celebrations after the victory. Now, 12 years later, the same lad has proved himself to be a beast in ODI cricket with some scintillating knocks and has an immense hunger to score runs. He will be carrying the expectations of the whole nation on his shoulders when the Indian team will face Australia in the final.
Kohli has amassed 13,794 runs in ODI cricket so far with a prolific average of 58.69. Also, he has the most number of centuries (50) in the 50-over format. With his experience playing in the final, Kohli can shine in the game as his current form and his knack for staying focused under pressure situation works in his favour.
Ravichandran Ashwin is another player, who was part of India's 2011 World Cup-winning squad but he didn't feature in the lineup. The spinner might be benched once again as India looks contemptuous with their winning combination.
Australia's 2015 World Cup-winning team includes five players, who are also part of the current lineup. Mitchell Starc was the leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps to his name for the Australian team in that edition and the pacer has been solid in the current edition as well with 22 wickets to his name.
A common link between these two teams has been the form of David Warner. Warner scored 345 runs in the tournament with an average above 40 in 2015. In the ongoing edition, he has amassed 528 runs so far. Glenn Maxwell was a game-changer for the Australian team with an average above 60 in both editions. Steve Smith has experienced a slump in the form failing to leave an impact with the bat.
Overall, there are likely to be six players in the final who have previous experience of playing in the title decider but the Virat Kohli factor is the biggest one and India might have an advantage of it.
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