India vs Australia LIVE: Cricket World Cup final score and updates ...

19 Nov 2023

India take on Australia in the 2023 Cricket World Cup final on Sunday, in a bid to win their first major ICC global event since 2011.

Cricket World Cup - Figure 1
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Australia have historically enjoyed the most success in the tournament, and Pat Cummins’ men have reached the nations’ eighth ODI World Cup final with a hard-fought win over South Africa.

India however go into the match as firm favourites having blown away all competition throughout the tournament, they went through the nine group matches unbeaten and then in the semi-finals eased past against New Zealand, with an impressive performance with both bat and ball.

The stage is set, and it will be a major one, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad can hold 132,000, almost all of whom will be cheering for India, which could weigh heavily on their shoulders, although they have not shown any indication of being burdened by the weight of a nation throughout the tournament so far.

Rohit Sharma and his team have a chance to write themselves into the history books, but first they will have to overcome an in-form Australia who have shown grit and determination since they lost to India in the group stages, including a memorable Glenn Maxwell-inspired victory over Afghanistan.

Follow all the live action below and get the latest odds and tips here.

India host Australia in a bid to win first major ICC trophy since 2011

India host Australia in the Cricket World Cup final

Australia beat South Africa in the semi-finals to qualify

India came through their semi-final against New Zealand comfortably

Australia win the toss and choose to bowl first

Wicket! Gill out for 4! ct Zampa b Starc - India 30-1

Wicket! Rohit out for 47! ct Head b Maxwell - India 76-2

Wicket! Shreyas out for 4! ct Inglis b Cummins - India 81-3

Kohli 50! - India 132-3

Wicket! Kohli out for 54! b Cummins India 148-4

KL Rahul 50! - India 173-4

Wicket! Jadeja out for 9! ct Inglis b Hazlewood India 178-5

Wicket! KL Rahul out for 66! ct Inglis b Starc India 203-6

Wicket! Shami out for 6! ct Inglis b Starc - India 211-7

Wicket! Bumrah out for 1! lbw Zampa - India 214-8

Wicket! Suryakumar out for 18! ct Inglis b Hazlewood - India 226-9

India 227-9 (48) Kuldeep 6, Siraj 1, Hazlewood 2-52 (9)

12:15 , Sonia Twigg

The crowd have been all but silenced after that. There are just two more overs for India to bat.

Cricket World Cup - Figure 2
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Wicket! Suryakumar out for 18! ct Inglis b Hazlewood - India 226-9

12:12 , Sonia Twigg

There is no pace in this surface, Hazlewood goes short, and Suryakumar leaps to try and get bat on it but it’s called a wide.

He connects with the next one and it looks like it could be a boundary, but Warner sprints and puts in a full strength dive and cuts off yet another one.

But he goes for another big shot and edges it high, Inglis takes the catch and India have lost another wicket.

India 223-8 (47) Suryakumar 16, Kuldeep 6, Cummins 2-29 (9)

12:08 , Sonia Twigg

Cummins will bowl his 9th here. Suryakumar has to take a leading role here of the two Yadav’s.

There has not been a lot of pace all day, but India have to go for it now. He angles the ball over the keeper but will just get the one run from it, as Cummins takes the pace off.

Kuldeep fends off a yorker from the final ball, just two runs from the over.

India 221-8 (46) Suryakumar 15, Kuldeep 4, Starc 3-55 (10)

12:03 , Sonia Twigg

Zampa finishes the tournament with 23 runs. Kuldeep gets off strike to Starc with a single.

Suryakumar is not farming the strike, they are still knocking it out for singles, bizarrely a predicted score of 246 has just floated on the screen, but India will have to do incredibly well to get there.

India 215-8 (45) Suryakumar 14, Yadav 1, Zampa 1-44 (10)

11:59 , Sonia Twigg

Zampa is bowled out, finishes with one wicket for just 44 runs from his 10 overs.

Wicket! Bumrah out for 1! lbw Zampa - India 214-8

11:57 , Sonia Twigg

Zampa will bowl his last over. There has not been a lot of momentum or shots to get the fans on their feet since the opening powerplay.

India need to get more runs on the board here.

But they lose another wicket! Bumrah is trapped lbw by Zampa for just one run and does not review!

India 213-7 (44) Suryakumar 13, Bumrah 1, Starc 3-49 (9)

11:53 , Sonia Twigg

Bumrah is the new batter. He is off the mark with a single, but India are in trouble.

Two runs and a wicket from the over.

Wicket! Shami out for 6! ct Inglis b Starc - India 211-7

11:51 , Sonia Twigg

Starc will have his second-last over here. The first two balls are dots.

Cricket World Cup - Figure 3
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The camera has just been searching for the smattering of Aussies in the crowd which otherwise resembles a sea of blue.

Shami has gone for a big one, the ball moved, and it just caught a thick edge on the way through to the keeper.

Australia have their seventh.

India 211-6 (43) Suryakumar 12, Shami 6, Cummins 2-27 (8)

11:49 , Sonia Twigg

All the discussions surround whether the dew will play a part in the second innings or not.

Suryakumar has to wear one from Cummins that almost fell onto his stumps.

Four runs from the over from Cummins, seven overs left.

India 207-6 (42) Suryakumar 10, Shami 4, Starc 2-47 (8)

11:46 , Sonia Twigg

There are 50 balls left in the innings as Shami comes to the crease. He has had a great tournament with the ball, but is not known for his batting.

But he has broken the boundary deadlock to get off the mark! Turned past the wicketkeeper.

Wicket! KL Rahul out for 66! ct Inglis b Starc India 203-6

11:41 , Sonia Twigg

Starc has ball in hand, he has three left and India have nine to set the total in this Cricket World Cup...he starts with two wides and the hosts will take every run that comes.

The crowd has just quietened, there’s a lot of anxious faces, the flags are not waving, and there is a lot of worry about whether the total will be competitive.

India came out flying, and while Rohit Sharma was at the crease a score of 300 looked easy, but when him and Virat Kohli were out the runs have dried up.

And KL Rahul is out for 66! He has played a well-timed innings of 66 from 107, that was an absolutely stunning delivery from Starc, it swung late and nipped off the seam.

India 200-5 (41) KL Rahul 66, Suryakumar 9, Zampa 0-42 (9)

11:37 , Sonia Twigg

Zampa will bowl his 9th, India are still content to play it around for singles. KL Rahul pulls out the sweep shot but just cannot find the boundary.

India are inching towards 200 here.

Just three runs from the over, and India will have to accelerate at some point.

India 197-5 (40) KL Rahul 64, Suryakumar 8, Hazlewood 1-48 (8)

11:33 , Sonia Twigg

Hazlewood will bowl his eighth. There is not a long of reverse swing, but there is a hint and that might play a part in the final part of this innings, we’re into the last 10 overs now.

Cricket World Cup - Figure 4
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India 192-5 (39) KL Rahul 61, Suryakumar 6, Zampa 0-39 (8)

11:29 , Sonia Twigg

Another bowling change and it will be Zampa back on to bowl. KL Rahul is looking for the boundary, it has been a long time, almost an hour...

KL Rahul moves into the 60s, the turn is increasing...and there is the boundary, it comes off the bat of Yadav, but it has got the crowd up and on their feet.

India 182-5 (38) KL Rahul 58, Suryakumar 1, Hazlewood 1-43 (7)

11:24 , Sonia Twigg

After the breakthrough in the last ball Hazlewood will have another over here.

Just three runs from the over, and we’re nearing the last 10, India will have to accelerate at some point, but that last wicket has definitely had an impact.

71 balls since the last boundary...

India 179-5 (37) KL Rahul 56, Suryakumar 0, Maxwell 1-35 (6)

11:19 , Sonia Twigg

Maxwell is back into the attack after Hazlewood secured that breakthrough.

Suryakumar Yadav is the new batter.

There’s a stumping check...but the batter did not move.

Just the one run from the over.

Wicket! Jadeja out for 9! ct Inglis b Hazlewood India 178-5

11:13 , Sonia Twigg

Australia return to the reliable Josh Hazlewood, but there’s some overthrows and that’s a sign that things aren’t quite working for Australia. There was a hint of reverse swing however.

Another diving stop on the ring, this time from Labuschagne, but it leads to another overthrow, that’s poor from Australia who have been exceptional in the field.

The overthrows mean five runs have come from the first three balls of the over. Australia go upstairs, only Steve Smith seems to have heard anything...

But there was no spike on ultra edge and Jadeja survives...but he only lasts just one more ball.

The next one is edged through to the keeper and Jadeja is out for 9!

KL Rahul 50! India 173-5 (35) KL Rahul 50, Jadeja 9, Starc 1-40 (7)

11:06 , Sonia Twigg

Starc will bowl his 7th over here, again it’s just being knocked around for singles. KL Rahul is closing in on a half century of his own however.

The main question is how much impact will the dew have in the second innings?

KL Rahul has his half century, it’s well-earned, his second in the tournament and it has come from 86 balls.

Cricket World Cup - Figure 5
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India 169-4 (34) KL Rahul 48, Jadeja 7, Head 0-4 (2)

11:03 , Sonia Twigg

Australia have kept the bowlers rotating quite consistently, not allowing the batters to settle against anyone.

Head’s over went for four runs.

India 165-4 (33) KL Rahul 47, Jadeja 6, Starc 1-35 (6)

10:59 , Sonia Twigg

Mitchell Starc is back into the attack, will the ball reverse already?

The run rate is just diminishing slightly, and despite the explosive start is just over five an over.

KL Rahul is closing in on his half century, but he might have to score a lot more than that to give India a solid total.

India 162-4 (32) KL Rahul 45, Jadeja 5, Zampa 0-29 (7)

10:52 , Sonia Twigg

Zampa will continue, it is all looking quite straightforward for Australia at the moment. But India still have wickets in hand and enough firepower to attack in the final 10 overs.

Just four runs from the over.

India 158-4 (31) KL Rahul 43, Jadeja 3, Cummins 2-23 (7)

10:48 , Sonia Twigg

Cummins will bowl his seventh here, he already has the key wicket of Virat Kohli, but Australia will want to turn the screw here.

A two off the first ball but after that it’s kept tight and India have added just four runs to the total from the over.

India 152-4 (30) KL Rauhl 39, Jadeja 1, Zampa 0-25 (6)

10:45 , Sonia Twigg

After that key over Australia turn to Zampa. There’s an umpire review for stumping against Jadeja who has only just come to the crease but his back foot did not move.

India 149-4 (29) KL Rahul 37, Jadeja 0, Cummins 2-17 (6)

10:39 , Sonia Twigg

Cummins has taken key wickets in this match, his bowling throughout the tournament has not been the best in the early period, despite being good at the death, but he has the key wicket here and Kohli has to depart.

He had looked unflappable until just miss-timing that delivery and Jadeja has come out to join KL Rahul at the crease.

The crowd has just gone quiet.

Wicket! Kohli out for 54! b Cummins India 148-4

10:35 , Sonia Twigg

Cummins will bowl his 6th over here, the first two balls are tapped away for singles.

Cummins strikes! Virat Kohli has played onto his stumps!

It was banged into the surface and just got up on him a bit and all he could do was edge it onto the stumps, Cummins wheels away in celebration and that is a crucial breakthrough.

Cricket World Cup - Figure 6
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India 146-3 (28) Kohli 53, KL Rahul 36, Zampa 0-22 (5)

10:32 , Sonia Twigg

Zampa is into his fifth over here. KL Rahul gets an early single to bring Kohli on strike.

He taps it into the leg side for an easy single. The scoreboard has not stopped ticking along and the dot balls have not been allowed to build up, but it has not been enthralling batting, although it has been exactly what the situation called for.

Four singles from the over.

India 142-3 (27) Kohli 51, KL Rahul 34, Maxwell 1-34 (5)

10:30 , Sonia Twigg

Maxwell comes back on and KL Rahul has hit this one away to the boundary! It had taken 97 balls, but KL Rahul employed the paddle to score a four fine past the keeper.

With that boundary it was a more prolific over though, seven runs from it.

India 135-3 (26) Kohli 50, KL Rahul 28, Zampa 0-18 (4)

10:26 , Sonia Twigg

David Warner has put in a stunning dive to prevent the first boundary for a long time, he was full stretch and just got a hand to it.

Just four runs from the over.

Virat Kohli 50! India 132-3

10:24 , Sonia Twigg

Zampa is back on, nine different bowlers have been used recently, and Kohli has brought up his half century with a single from the first ball.

It came from 56 balls, and he had to weather the storm a bit after the three early wickets.

India 131-3 (25) Kohli 49, KL Rahul 25, Maxwell 1-27 (4)

10:22 , Sonia Twigg

Australia are running through their bowling options trying to find a breakthrough here, and turn to Maxwell.

Three runs from it.

India 128-3 (24) Kohli 47, KL Rahul 24, Marsh 0-5 (2)

10:19 , Sonia Twigg

Marsh will keep going from the other end after a good first over that went for just two runs.

There has not been any boundaries in the partnership between KL Rahul and Kohli, which is quite exceptional given they have put on almost 50 runs together.

India 125-3 (23) Kohli 45, KL Rahul 23, Starc 1-33 (5)

10:15 , Sonia Twigg

It has been more than 12 overs since a boundary, Starc has been hit for two runs, which makes a welcome change to the extensive singles.

But there are still no boundaries.

India 121-3 (22) Kohli 42, KL Rahul 22, Head 0-2 (1)

10:11 , Sonia Twigg

Cricket World Cup - Figure 7
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Travis Head has bowled his first over, and it goes for just two runs.

India 119-3 (21) Kohli 41, KL Rahul 21, Hazlewood 0-35 (5)

10:07 , Sonia Twigg

The game has just quietened and is meandering along, although Inid won’t mind as long as they can keep wickets in hand.

Kohli is running hard and always looking for the extra run but Australia have not put a foot wrong in the field, aside from a Warner misfield.

India 115-3 (20) Kohli 39, KL Rahul 19, Marsh 0-2 (1)

10:02 , Sonia Twigg

Mitchell Marsh will bowl his first over here, it’s an interesting decision, but India are just trying to ride this out, and might be tempted to release some pressure and go on the attack against the fourth seamer.

Just two singles from his first over.

India 113-3 (19) Kohli 38, KL Rahul 18, Hazlewood 0-31 (4)

09:58 , Sonia Twigg

Hazlewood has come back into the attack, and similar to the other bowlers, he is just going for singles here.

It has now been over 40 minutes since the last boundary, and Australia won’t mind that at all.

Six runs from that over, all in singles.

India 107-3 (18) Kohli 35, KL Rahul 15, Maxwell 1-24 (3)

09:54 , Sonia Twigg

Maxwell, who claimed the key wicket of Sharma is back into the attack after a spell from Zampa. He has been quite expensive, but wickets are far more important at this stage, and since the wickets fell the run rate has slowed.

Just the three runs from the over.

India 104-3 (17) Kohli 35, KL Rahul 12, Cummins 1-14 (5)

09:51 , Sonia Twigg

Cummins will continue, and he has been good but Australia’s fielding has been exceptional, both in the ring and out in the deep they have cut off so many runs.

It has been 40 balls since the last boundary after four balls of Cummins’ fifth over.

India 101-3 (16) Kohli 34, KL Rahul 10, Zampa 0-14 (3)

09:45 , Sonia Twigg

Zampa will bowl his third over here, but again it’s only singles, and it will be time for the drinks break.

India got off to a flying start, but have been pegged back since the last two wickets which fell in quick succession, especially the loss of Rohit.

India 97-3 (15) Kohli 32, KL Rahul 8, Cummins 1-11 (4)

09:40 , Sonia Twigg

Cricket World Cup - Figure 8
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Cummins will keep going, and he has bowled well so far, his first three overs went for just eight runs.

And he has not started this one any differently, two singles off the first two balls, and one not controlled from Kohli was not far away from the man at midwicket.

India 94-3 (14) Kohli 30, KL Rahul 7, Zampa 0-10 (2)

09:37 , Sonia Twigg

Zampa will bowl his second, the first two balls go for singles, but the crowd has just fallen quiet following the wickets but Kohli is at the crease and that will always encourage the home support.

There’s a brief pause for what looks like a spectator on the field, but the over will continue.

India 89-3 (13) Kohli 27, KL Rahul 5, Cummins 1-8 (3)

09:31 , Sonia Twigg

After taking a wicket in the last over, Cummins has bowled a very tight over here, just the two runs from it.

India 87-3 (12) Kohli 26, KL Rahul 4, Zampa 0-5 (1)

09:27 , Sonia Twigg

Zampa will come into the attack for the first time, after Maxwell took the crucial wicket of Rohit.

KL Rahul just knocks the ball for a single first ball. It’s easy singles but the big runs which was instigated by Rohit has just dried up slightly.

India 82-3 (11) Kohli 24, KL Rahul 1, Cummins 1-6 (2)

09:23 , Sonia Twigg

An important over from Cummins comes to an end, and India will need to rely on this duo to score a lot of the runs needed.

They have early runs on the board but there are so many overs left, and we are only just out of the powerplay.

Wicket! Shreyas out for 4! ct Inglis b Cummins - India 81-3

09:20 , Sonia Twigg

Shreyas has gone! He edged that behind, it was a good ball from Cummins and Iyer was on the back foot waiting in his crease, the ball catches the edge on the way through to Inglis, who makes no mistake.

That is a huge wicket, and India will have to rebuild.

India 80-2 (10) Kohli 23, Shreyas 4, Maxwell 1-21 (2)

09:18 , Sonia Twigg

Shreyas Iyer comes to the crease and already hits a four, but Australia have the breakthrough and it’s a crucial one.

Wicket! Rohit out for 47! ct Head b Maxwell - India 76-2

09:15 , Sonia Twigg

Maxwell has continued, and he has been hit for a big six down the ground, that went high and dropped into the stands.

Cricket World Cup - Figure 9
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He follows it up with a four, but is out next ball!

Rohit came down the pitch but didn’t quite get hold of it, Travis Head had to cover a lot of ground to take a diving catch after running backwards, that is a huge breakthrough for Australia!

India 66-1 (9) Rohit 37, Kohli 23, Cummins 0-4 (1)

09:14 , Sonia Twigg

Cummins has brought himself on to bowl, Warner had to be alert in the deep to cut off another boundary, but the captain has started well.

India 61-1 (8) Rohit 35, Kohli 21, Maxwell 0-7 (1)

09:09 , Sonia Twigg

Maxwell has been brought into the attack for the first time, he has tried to turn it but it has just come on nicely, and Rohit has put that away comfortably.

India 54-1 (7) Rohit 33, Kohli 16, Starc 1-29 (4)

09:05 , Sonia Twigg

Kohli has his first boundary from the first ball of the over from Starc.

The next ball has been nailed through backward point for another boundary, this has been a great start, and the crowd are all cheering his name.

He follows it up with another four, this time drilled through cover with expert timing.

India 40-1 (6) Rohit 32, Kohli 3, Hazlewood 0-25 (3)

09:00 , Sonia Twigg

Hazlewood has been much tighter this over, Kohli has struggled to get the ball away.

The number three clips it into the leg side but straight to Warner at midwicket.

India 37-1 (5) Rohit 31, Kohli 1, Starc 1-15 (3)

08:56 , Sonia Twigg

The wicket has not affected Rohit though, he has another six down the ground, and India - despite the wicket - are off to a flyer.

Wicket! Gill out for 4! ct Zampa b Starc - India 30-1

08:52 , Sonia Twigg

Australia have their first wicket! It was a poor shot from Gill, just shoveled to Zampa.

Starc will take that, but it’s not the wicket they want, Rohit has been the one inflicting all the damage.

India 30-0 (4) Rohit 25, Gill 4, Hazlewood 0-22 (2)

08:50 , Sonia Twigg

Rohit hits one that just bounces short of Head in the deep, it was a shorter ball from Hazlewood.

And he has his first six, that was a poor delivery from the Australian bowler, the first six of the game and he follows it up with a four along the ground straight back past the bowler.

Australia 18-0 (3) Rohit 14, Gill 3, Starc 0-8 (2)

08:44 , Sonia Twigg

Cricket World Cup - Figure 10
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Gill has edged his first ball of the innings and it has fallen just short of slip, that was not a slower ball either, the bowler can’t believe it.

Starc has tried to angle it across to Gill, and was almost rewarded, but he has tried to bowl inswingers to Rohit and try and cramp him.

Rohit has gone for a big shot, and it flies over the infield but has been stopped on the boundary by the wide third man.

India 13-0 (2) Rohit 13, Gill 0, Hazlewood 0-10 (1)

08:40 , Sonia Twigg

Australia have been on it in the field so far, they have dived to cut off runs exactly as they did in the semi-final and there was another one by Zampa the first ball of the second over.

Rohit has his first boundary, he has come down the pitch and smashed Hazlewood to the off-side that was an amazing shot.

A little bit short the next ball and it’s back to back boundaries, the next one is into the gap in the leg side.

The final ball of the over he goes for another big shot but misses it and the ball narrowly missed off stump.

India 3-0 (1) Rohit 3, Gill 0, Starc 0-3 (1)

08:35 , Sonia Twigg

After being struck on the pads first ball, Rohit has his first runs, a wide yorker from Starc is cut away and there’s a sliding stop by Head on the boundary to save two runs.

Starc kept it tight for the rest of the over, but a single off the final ball sees Rohit keep the strike for the next over.

India vs Australia

08:31 , Sonia Twigg

Rohit Sharma will face first, along with Shubman Gill and it’s time for the start of the Cricket World Cup final.

India vs Australia

08:28 , Sonia Twigg

Apparently there are just around 100 Australia fans in the 132,000 crowd, the rest will all be cheering for the home side, there has been a fly past from the India air force, and Mitchell Starc is preparing to bowl.

India vs Australia

08:27 , Sonia Twigg

The anthems are done and it’s almost time for the start, when the India team finished their anthem, a few fireworks shot into the air.

India vs Australia

08:24 , Sonia Twigg

The umpires and players are about to come out onto the field and it’s almost time for national anthems.

There is a huge cheer as Sachin Tendulkar walks out ahead of the teams.

Cricket World Cup - Figure 11
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India vs Australia

08:20 , Sonia Twigg

India captain Rohit Sharma has urged his team-mates to contain their emotions as they prepare for a home World Cup final that represents “the biggest moment” of their sporting lives.

Twelve years since their last triumph on the global stage, cricket’s superpower nation is one game away from glory as the duo battle with Australia in Ahmedabad.

Rohit Sharma highlights the importance of India’s work ethic ahead of final

India vs Australia

08:14 , Sonia Twigg

Here are some photos of the toss:

(REUTERS)

(AP)

India vs Australia

08:12 , Sonia Twigg

Here are some photos of the team warming up ahead of play:

(REUTERS)

(Getty Images)

(REUTERS)

(Getty Images)

Australia win the toss and choose to bowl

08:06 , Sonia Twigg

Pat Cummins confirms Australia are unchanged from their semi-final and Rohit confirms he would have chosen to bat if he had won the toss.

Rohit Sharma: “It’s a dream come true to be captaining the team in the final, but there is a task in front of us.”

India are also playing the same team.

Australia win the toss and choose to bowl

08:05 , Sonia Twigg

Pat Cummins has won the toss and will bowl first: “It looks like a bit of a drier wicket, so bowl on it during the day and chase on it in the evening.

“We’ve played these guys a lot, it’s always a fantastic day and I don’t think it’ll be any different today.”

India vs Australia

08:00 , Sonia Twigg

In case you were wondering, here is what has been decided for the additional performances at the stadium:

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 finale between India and Australia on Sunday will feature performances by Dua Lipa and an aerial show by the Indian Air Force.

The high-profile match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest cricket stadium in the world, and will have several VIPs attending, including the Indian and Australian prime ministers.

Cricket World Cup final to include pre-game show featuring Dua Lipa and IAF flypast

India vs Australia

07:50 , Sonia Twigg

Onto the match itself, and here is a pitch report:

Cricket World Cup - Figure 12
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Hosts India will face Australia on Sunday 19 November in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

The 48-game tournament will conclude at the 130,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the largest cricket stadium in the world.

Both India and Australia have had stellar performances throughout the World Cup, and the teams are now just one step away from achieving the greatest accolade in cricket.

IND v AUS: Narendra Modi Stadium pitch report, Ahmedabad weather ahead of WC final

India vs Australia

07:40 , Sonia Twigg

Turning attention towards the final, but firstly a small controversy over the late pitch-change for India’s match against the Kiwis.

A major controversy has erupted after the pitch for India’s semi-final cricket match against New Zealand in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 was changed at the last minute, dubbed by one commentator as “outrageous”.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian team management were accused of getting the pitch at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium changed before the match, without taking the permission of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The ICC has come out in defence of the late switch and said such changes were “common”.

Strong remarks were made over accusations that the change favoured the Indian side. Indian commentator and former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar dismissed the accusations and said those making them were “morons” who he hoped would “just shut up”.

Why India is under fire over pitch change ahead of Cricket World Cup final

India vs Australia

07:30 , Sonia Twigg

And here’s a look back at Australia’s narrow win over South Africa:

Australia survived a determined South African resistance to secure a place in the Cricket World Cup final with a thrilling three-wicket win in a low-scoring but entertaining semi-final.

The two semi-finals could not have been more different. In Mumbai, India blew New Zealand away with their batting prowess, and dominated with skilful bowling, while both teams in Kolkata had to dig in and battle in the bowling-friendly conditions.

Australia hold their nerve against South Africa to reach Cricket World Cup final

India vs Australia

07:15 , Sonia Twigg

First, let’s take a look back at the semi-finals, starting with India:

Virat Kohli’s record-breaking innings might be remembered as the “stuff of dreams” but it was Mohammed Shami who bowled India to their first ODI World Cup final for 12 years, as they secured a 70-run victory over New Zealand.

Kohli added yet another entry next to his name in the history books when he recorded his 50th ODI century, eclipsing the great Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 49, as India put on what proved to be a match-winning total of 397.

Kohli is the record breaker but Shami bowled India to the World Cup final

India vs Australia

Friday 17 November 2023 16:04 , Sonia Twigg

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live blog coverage of the ICC 2023 Cricket World Cup final between India and Australia.

We will be bringing you all the news and updates from the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad ahead of the culmination of a tournament that started on October 5.

India will be looking to bring the trophy home in front of a home crowd and prevent Australia lifting the trophy for a sixth time.

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