India vs Australia ICC World Cup 2023 final: Australia win the toss, decide to bowl first

Australia won the toss and decided to bowl first in the match against India at the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 final on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said at the toss that he would have chosen to bat first if he won the toss.

After choosing to bowl, Australian captain Pat Cummins said, "We are gonna have a bowl first. Looks like a dry wicket. Dew is a factor. It gets better to bat on. Tough start to the tournament, haven't really put a foot wrong ever since. It's all set up perfectly. We've played these guys a lot. Same team as the semi-final."

"I would have batted first. Looks a good pitch, big game, put runs on the board. It's going to be amazing; every time we play here, the crowd come out in large numbers. The biggest occasion in the cricketing event. We have to stay nice and calm. It's a dream come true to be captaining the team in the final. I know what lies in front of us. We need to play well and get the result. You got to make the right decisions on the field. That's something we've done consistently in the last 10 games. We are playing the same team," said Indian team captain.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the Indian Cricket Team ahead of the much-awaited high-octane clash between India and Australia. "All the best Team India! 140 crore Indians are cheering for you. May you shine bright, play well and uphold the spirit of sportsmanship," PM Modi wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) today.

India is ready and prepared to bat first against Australia at the final of CC Men’s World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, scheduled to start at 2 pm. Today’s match marks India's fourth appearance in a World Cup final; previously, the Indian cricket team won titles in 1983 and 2011. India lost against Australia in 2003 in South Africa by a margin of 125 runs. 

The pitch surface at Narendra Modi Stadium is expected to be the same as that in the India-Pakistan game, which is advantageous for both fielders and batters. In the four World Cup games that have been played on this pitch so far, three teams have won the match by chasing the score.

"Around 315 runs could be a defendable score as batting second will be difficult," a pitch curator in Ahmedabad told PTI on Friday.

IND vs AUS Playing 11

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.

Australia: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa.

Also Read: IND vs AUS World Cup 2023 final: "Stay nice and calm," says Team India captain Rohit Sharma