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Follow UsHaving won ten and eight games on the bounce respectively, India and Australia have by some distance been the two best sides of this World Cup. It is hence fitting that these two sides will be facing off against each other in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
India and Australia clashing in the World Cup final, though, is fitting in more ways than one, for they’ve not just been the two best sides of this competition but have been the two best teams in the world. Period.
When it comes to World Cups, it seldom happens that the final is played by the outright two best teams in the world. That is due to the nature of the beast that is knockout cricket.
New Zealand made it to the final in 2019 but by no means were they the second-best team in the world at that point. They just happened to have a really good tournament.
So even if New Zealand, say, had won the whole thing in 2019, they really wouldn’t have been the outright ‘best team in the world’ despite ironically winning the World Cup.
Fair to say, that won’t be the case come Sunday. The winner, in fact, can proudly claim that they are indeed the best team in the world by all means.
Statistically, India and Australia have been the two best sides in the world in ODIs in the last two years.
Admittedly, India’s dominance blows that of Australia out of the water. But the Aussies have done something that no other team has managed in the last eight years, which is win a bilateral series in India. This core of players, in fact, have managed to do it twice: once in 2019 and once earlier this year.
And that, probably, is the clinching factor for the Kangaroos if they do go on to win on Sunday. It’ll be hard to argue against Australia being the best team in the world if they win Sunday’s final because they would have then downed India in a final in front of 130,000 fans in their own backyard less than eight months after beating them in a bilateral series in India.
And if India win, well, is there even any question? Forget being the best team in the world, this Indian side will be in the conversation for being the greatest-ever ODI side. Never in history has a side dominated a World Cup like this. Not even Punter’s Men in 2007 were this ruthless.
The crowning of the best team in the world, then, is the main plot. But it’s the sub-narratives that actually make this clash a truly fascinating one.
The biggest of them all, undoubtedly, is the dreaded trophy drought of India. It’s been 3,801 days since they last laid their hands on an ICC Trophy, and they’ve not won a World Cup of any sort in 12 years. That is a long drought for any side, but for a team of India’s calibre, which has multiple all-time-greats forming its core?
Ooof. It’s a miserable streak.
Which is why Sunday’s final could just be the country’s biggest game of this century, even bigger than 2011. The ramifications of the result could be massive.
Victory could potentially pave the way for unprecedented dominance in the next decade.
India have already been the most consistent and devastating team in the sport — across formats — for at least seven years, but this ‘ICC Trophy’ burden has prevented them from being truly hailed one of the greatest sides of all time.
Finally getting that monkey off that back will not only immortalize this current generation, but also pave the way for dominance for the next generation, which, going forward, will believe that these trophies are rightfully theirs.
With a victory on Sunday, India will get that invisible aura of invincibility that will likely intimidate their opponents in the future and make them feel helpless.
However, a defeat would be a sucker punch like no other. It could potentially end up creating a deep mental scar that could end up taking a very, very long time to heal. It would certainly crush this particular generation of players, who would feel it’ll be humanly impossible for them to do more.
The defeat could have a trickle-down effect and the future generations, too, will likely continue to be haunted by the dreaded drought.
If India do somehow lose on Sunday, the defeat in 2019 will feel like a needle prick in comparison, for such will be the magnitude of this particular heartbreak. Blame the journey for the same.
There are other sub-narratives, too, with respect to India alone. None more beautiful than Rohit Sharma’s redemption arc. 12 years ago, he did not make the cut for the 2011 World Cup that India went on to win.
He’s now here a decade later, not simply as a player but as the captain of the side. He’s led by example and will put himself in the same bracket as MS Dhoni and Kapil Dev with a win.
Long before Virat Kohli, Rohit was the chosen one, but somehow, his career endured several false starts. Him lifting the title on Sunday will be a moment to cherish for all those who believed in his talent and ability throughout his journey.
READ: Rohit Sharma, the dark knight in the team of superheroes
Australia’s sub-narratives are not as emotionally powerful as India’s because, well, they keep winning. But with a win, this golden generation can potentially claim that it is the second-best team of the last 30 years, behind only the previous golden generation of Australia (1999-2007).
In sport, rarely does a new golden generation live up to the standards of the country / team’s OG golden generation, but somehow, this group has managed to do the impossible.
Even with a defeat on Sunday, this group of players would have won a 50-over World Cup, a 20-over World Cup, a World Test Championship, scaled the number one ranking across formats, won the Ashes at home, retained the 'Urn away and won Test series in New Zealand and South Africa whilst being the only side to win multiple Tests in India in the past decade.
Add one more World Cup to this and well, you’re simply looking at one of the greatest sides ever.
Undeniably, there will be a lot less pressure on Australia on Sunday as opposed to India but rest assured this group will be ‘wanting to win’ the competition as much as the Men in Blue, for they know what’s at stake. This is the last dance for many of its players, and they will be wanting to leave on a high.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Sunday’s clash, though, is how similar these two sides now are, knowingly or unknowingly. When India and Australia last met in a World Cup final back in 2003, they were polar opposites.
Largely because Australia were this brash, in-your-face, hyper-macho group that believed in asserting itself a certain way.
That is no longer the case. Australia have grown out of that. Pat Cummins’ men are unabashedly courteous and self-effacing.
Now, both sides consist of like-minded characters who, having thrilled as youngsters, now play the sport with a Zen-like mindset, at peace with where they find themselves in both their lives and careers.
They are fierce rivals on the pitch but also good friends off it. The Kohlis, The Rohits, The Warners, The Maxwells: these guys have seen it all and now truly understand that there is more to life than just sport. This mindset, in many ways, is what has helped them thrive and perform at their very best despite being in their mid-to-late 30s.
It is no coincidence that both teams have very similar, calm, brother-like coaches in Rahul Dravid and Andrew McDonald, who have advocated one thing, and one thing only, which is player welfare.
So, on Sunday, when the players of these two sides will step onto the field in Ahmedabad, they will carry with them not just the weight of history but also the shared journey: these players, after all, know each other all too well, having grown together in stature.
Beyond the boundaries and trophies, then, in Sunday's final, the essence of sportsmanship and the pursuit of excellence of the two best teams in the world will converge on the grandest and biggest stage of all.
It cannot possibly get better than this.
