3 reasons why India will beat Australia in the 2023 World Cup Final
Only one match stands between Team India and cricket's ultimate prize, the ODI World Cup. The Men in Blue will lock horns with Australia in the final of the 2023 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Australia aren't pushovers, by any means. They finished third in the standings at the end of the league stage and fought hard in the semifinal against South Africa to get over the line with three wickets to spare. There are quite a few factors that suggest the Aussies will be able to push India to the limit.
However, the hosts are the clear favorites heading into the contest. They have been utterly dominant throughout the tournament and come into this clash riding a 10-match winning streak.
Here are three reasons why India will beat Australia in the 2023 World Cup Final.
#3 Despite reaching the final, Australia haven't been convincing in the 2023 World Cup
To put it quite simply, one of the biggest reasons why India will beat Australia in the 2023 World Cup is the fact that, on paper, they've been the better team. And without pointing to the obvious strength the hosts have in all departments, we can arrive at that conclusion just by looking at the path the Aussies have taken to the final.
After losing their first two matches to India and South Africa, Pat Cummins and Co. needed to stitch together a few wins. And while they managed that, with eight on the trot, there were several junctures where the streak could've been snapped.
Australia pulled off a thrilling win against New Zealand in a game they could've easily lost and were in a near-impossible situation against Afghanistan before Glenn Maxwell pulled off the unthinkable. Their contests against England and Pakistan were not entirely one-sided either, with the latest semifinal win over the Proteas being a thriller.
India, meanwhile, have been in top gear since the start of the 2023 World Cup. There is a clear disparity in the momentum with which the two teams enter this clash, even if the win streaks suggest that they're evenly matched.
#2 Australia's middle order is brittle
David Warner is Australia's leading run-scorer in the 2023 World Cup, with 528 runs to his name. He is followed by Mitchell Marsh, who has amassed 426. Maxwell is the only middle-order batter to have made a serious impression, with 398 runs at an average of 66.33 and a strike rate of 150.18.
Apart from Maxwell, there isn't much to write home about. Steve Smith hasn't even crossed the 300-run mark, while Marnus Labuschagne barely has. Josh Inglis has managed 159 runs, and Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green haven't come to the party with the bat either.
Australia's middle order, which currently features a rather insipid batter in Labuschagne at No. 5, is brittle. Excluding Maxwell, it inspires no confidence, and even he is a hit-and-miss player. It pales in comparison to the volume of runs Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have racked up in the 2023 World Cup.
#1 The Men in Blue have positive bowling matchups
Australia's middle order being undercooked will bring the spinners, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, into play. The duo might not get much assistance in Ahmedabad, but they will welcome bowling to the likes of Smith and Labuschagne.
Before that, though, India have excellent matchups among the fast bowlers. Mohammed Shami averages around four against left-handers in the 2023 World Cup, and the Aussies have two up top in Warner and Travis Head. Mohammed Siraj is another bowler who enjoys bowling to southpaws, with a sub-20 average against them in 2023.
Jasprit Bumrah hasn't had much success against Warner, but the batter hasn't been able to keep the scoreboard moving either. Bumrah is also the kind of bowler for whom head-to-head records don't really mean much - he can get anyone out, on any day.
India's bowling attack is on another level right now, and that's a major factor in their favor ahead of the 2023 World Cup Final.