India and Australia will clash in the final of the ICC World Cup 2023 on November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Both the teams played once at the venue in the league stage and won their respective games.
Australia defeated England at the venue, while India handed a comprehensive defeat to Pakistan. The pitch in Ahmedabad has been on slower side usually and teams winning the toss have preferred to bat first and defend later.
The track used during the India vs. Pakistan game at the same site, according to skipper Rohit Sharma, was much drier. Although Rohit is unsure how the pitch will perform during the final, he anticipates it to be on the slower side.
The captain also stated that the toss would not be a key influence in the summit clash because dew may not be there.
“There was no grass on that wicket but this has a bit of grass on it. The wicket from India vs Pakistan was a lot drier. I still haven't looked at the wicket today. But from my understanding, it's going to be on a slower side. We'll see the pitch tomorrow and assess it. The temperature has dropped a bit as well. I don't know how much of a factor the dew will be because in that Pakistan game, there was a lot of dew during training but not on matchday. The same happened at Wankhede where there was dew one day before but not during the semis. I don't think the toss will play a big role,” Rohit said on the eve of the final.
During India's 10-match winning streak, Rohit's aggressive batting has disturbed opponents, but the skipper has vowed he will rein himself in if the team requires a different approach in the final against five-time champions Australia.
354 runs out of Rohit Sharma’s 550 in the CWC 2023 have come in the first 10 overs of the matches, but when needed against England in Lucknow, Rohit dropped anchor to make 87 in 101 balls to give Men in Blue a good total they could defend.
"Before the start of the World Cup, I wanted to play in a certain manner. I had no idea if it's going to come off... what if it doesn't? I had plans for both. For me what's important is because I start the innings, there's a bit of freedom to go and express myself. But in that game against England, I had to change my game a bit once we lost a few wickets. I'm prepared to do that as well.
That's what the experienced player needs to do. You can't just think you have to play one way. You have to adapt quickly knowing the situations that are there in front of you. I'm prepared to do whatever I feel is right for the team,” Rohit said.
(Reuters inputs)
