Ahmedabad: Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bowl first, in line with the preference expressed by India’s Rohit Sharma. The lineups remain the same as the semi-final. While Rohit had a strong start, Shubman Gill, with a notable record in Ahmedabad, fell early to Mitchell Starc.
Virat Kohli entered the scene with great intensity, but Rohit Sharma’s impressive innings was cut short by Glenn Maxwell, courtesy of an exceptional catch from Travis Head, leaving him just three runs shy of his half-century. Pat Cummins continued the onslaught by dismissing the in-form Shreyas Iyer in the following over. KL Rahul and Kohli are now working to stabilize the Indian innings. The flow of boundaries significantly reduced after the 10th over, and Kohli eventually departed after scoring 54 off 63 balls. Rahul has been attempting to anchor the innings, but India faced another setback when Ravindra Jadeja, promoted ahead of Suryakumar Yadav, was dismissed in the 36th over.
Rahul battled through to achieve a half-century, with Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) now partnering him in what seems to be the last partnership of recognized batters for India. Unfortunately, Rahul’s innings came to an end as he was dismissed for 66 off 107 by Starc. Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav collaborated to contribute 14 runs for the last wicket, concluding India’s innings at a total of 240 in 50 overs.
As the World Cup journey reaches its climax, Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins stand at crucial crossroads. Cummins seeks to dispel doubts about his captaincy, aspiring to join the league of legends like Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, and Michael Clarke. For Rohit, this is a chance to channel the frustration of missing the 2011 World Cup into a title-winning performance. Get ready for 8 hours of gripping action – it’s the World Cup final, India vs Australia.