ICC World Cup Final : India and Australia fight for the title
November 19, 2023 | SportsGuff Team 1.3K Reads
India and Australia will be competing against each other today for the title of ICC ODI Cricket World Cup. The final match will start today at 2:30 PM Nepali time at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
India defeated New Zealand and Australia defeated South Africa In the semi-final to secure a place in the final. India had defeated Australia by 6 wickets in the league stage of the ongoing World Cup. India, who are in high form this year, are undefeated in the tournament so far. Australia bounced back after losing 2 consecutive games in the league stage.
If we go through head to head stats between these two finalists in World Cup history, Australia have been the successful side. Australia is going to play the final of the World Cup for the eighth time out of which they have come out as champions for five times.
India is playing the World Cup final for the fourth time. India became the champions in 1983 and 2011 while Australia outplayed them in the finals of 2003 to crown as champions. India won the toss in the title clash in Johannesburg on March 23 2003 and elected to field first. Australia made a mammoth total of 359 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. Skipper Ricky Ponting scored unbeaten 140 for Australia.
Chasing a target of 360 runs, India were bowled out for 234 runs from 39.2 overs and were defeated by a big margin of 125 runs.
Australia then became World Cup champions in 2007 and 2015, defeating Sri Lanka in the 2007 final and New Zealand in the 2015 final. India won their second title in 2011 by defeating Sri Lanka in the title clash at home.
India and Australia are facing each other for the title for the first time since 2003. India's record against Australia in ODI cricket is not good. Both teams have played 150 ODIs so far, with Australia ahead of India (57 wins) with 83 wins. Both the teams have played 13 matches against each other in the World Cup and here too Australia is leading 8-5.
India vs Australia Head to Head
| Total Matches Played | Won by Australia | Won by India | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In ODIs | 150 | 83 | 57 |
| In World Cup | 13 | 8 | 5 |
| In Indian Soil | 71 | 33 | 33 |
There is a tough rivalry between these two teams on Indian soil. In the 71 ODIs played in India, both the teams have won 33-33 matches each. Also, out of 7 matches played between the two teams this year, India has won four matches.
India is undefeated in the ongoing World Cup. India has won 10 matches in a row, including nine in the group stage and the semi-finals. Australia lost to India and South Africa in the group stage. Australia has taken revenge by defeating South Africa by 3 wickets in the semi-finals.
Virat Kohli has scored 711 runs so far. He is currently on top of the list of highest run-scorers in this World Cup. India's skipper Rohit Sharma (550 runs) and Shreyas Iyer (526 runs) are also scoring runs continuously.
On the other hand, David Warner, the highest run scorer for Australia, has scored 528 runs, while Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh have also scored two centuries each.
In bowling, Mohammad Shami of India has taken 23 wickets in 6 matches, while Australian spinner Adam Zampa (22 wickets) is only one wicket away from him.
India's Jasprit Bumrah (18), Ravindra Jadeja (16), Kuldeep Yadav (15 wickets) and Mohammad Siraj (13 wickets) are also amongst the wickets. Australia's Jos Hazlewood (14 wickets) and Mitchell Starc (13 wickets) are not far behind.
So it is expected to be a tough competition in the final of this World Cup. The Indian team last won the World Cup under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni 12 years ago by defeating Sri Lanka. India won this prestigious trophy for the first time in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev.
But it will not be so easy for India to defeat Australia. Australia is planning to become the champion for the sixth time. Australia last won the title in 2015. Australia became champions in 1999, 2003 and 2007 and set a record for a hat-trick of titles.
