Live Report - India vs Australia, World Cup 2023, Final

For starters close to 130,000 people at the Motera in Ahmedabad, a sea of blue and the coveted World Cup Trophy in sight. If that isn't enough, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will also be in attendance along with the who's who of cricket including a number of former World Cup-winning captains. There's a pre-match air show lined up, a concert a light show and a lot of other things. So, it's not just the cricket that is in store in Ahmedabad today.

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Here's a sneak peek. Go ahead, and click on the entire thing. It's worth your time.

You might argue, with hindsight, that this World Cup final has bowed to the inevitable by bringing the two pre-tournament favourites together in the summit clash. In that, it is a departure from the norm. Starting from 1983, when India defied 66-1 odds to dethrone West Indies, World Cup finals have provided a joyous deviation from the script: Sri Lanka have made it to three finals and won once, New Zealand to two, and Australia and Pakistan were far from being the favourites when they won in 1987 and 1992. This year, apart from the truth that India and Australia were the soundest bets for the final when the tournament began, very little about their paths here has been predictable.

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It did not start smoothly, in fact, was quite bumpy at the top when they lost their first two matches to India and South Africa and were at one point bottom of the ten-team World Cup. But Australia have since picked up pace and how. There have been a few hiccups along the way like the game against Afghanistan and New Zealand, but Australia come into the final having won eight games on the bounce.

Can they once again go all the way?

Here's Australia's journey to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup.

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They started with a win against this very Australia side in Chennai and since then the team has gone from strength to strength. India head into the final having won each of their ten games and will be quite keen on making it 11 out of 11.

Let's see how the Indian side went about their matches at the World Cup:

How many times have India and Australia met in a World Cup knockout game? The answer is three times.

2003 final. When a Ricky Ponting special stunned India and dashed the hopes of a cricket-crazy country.

2011 quarter-final. When Yuvraj Singh played the knock of his life to send India to the semi-final and knocked Australia out.

2015 semi-final. When Steven Smith and Aaron Finch left India with no answers.

Australia lead the tally by a 2-1 margin. Chance for India to draw level?

After 45 league games and two high-octane semi-finals, we are down to this last one. The big final. India vs Australia – a rivalry that has gone on for decades and upped a notch in the last few years.

The team of the tournament vs the team that tends to win these tournaments!

It's been close to six weeks of enthralling cricket which culminates with Rohit Sharma-led India taking on Pat Cummins-led Australia. One team, which is chasing their third ODI World Cup title...at home in front of a potential 130,000 people in attendance at the iconic stadium in Ahmedabad. The other, who has done it all, so many times. It's their eighth time in a World Cup final, and have already won the title five times!

Who will take the cup home today? The team that have proved to be flawless, or the one who just know how to win the big games. Buckle up, folks. It's going to be a fun ride.

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