GROUND ZERO REPORT
Follow UsAnd then there were two. The two who have not only been the two best teams in the tournament but also during the cycle since the last 50-over World Cup.
For Pat Cummins, it will be a day to firmly establish himself as one of the best Australian captains in an already illustrious list. It will be a chance for his team to claim a right to be seen as the best of this generation. Winning the World Test Championship, retaining the Ashes away from home, and winning the World Cup in the space of a few months will be more than what most players attain in their lifetime.
“It [World Cup win] would just top off an incredible year and probably a career-defining year that a lot of us will look back on in years to come and be pretty proud of,” Cummins said prior to Sunday’s final.
For Rohit Sharma, it is a chance to finally put to rest the emotions he felt on not being part of the team in 2011 and the unfinished business since. It will also be the chance for statistically the best Indian team across formats ever to claim the right to stand at the top of the podium unopposed.
“Emotionally it's a big thing, a big occasion. Without a doubt, because whatever hard work and dreams you have, you have for this. And tomorrow, that day will be in front of us,” Rohit said during the pre-final press conference.
“You don't get such occasions every time. You don't get a chance to play in the finals every time. And for me, this is the biggest event. World Cup 50 over. Since childhood, I've grown up watching the 50 over World Cup. So, for me, this is the biggest moment.”
India have been the best team in the tournament by a distance. Despite being the only team to play at nine different venues, they have taken the field on each occasion with an aura of invincibility like a few Australian teams of the past. They have been leading the charts on almost all parameters. On numbers, this will hold despite the result of the final. But for Rohit, all this is irrelevant.
“I don't believe in that aura and all that. Like I said, you have to come to the ground well and play good cricket. I don't believe in what we did in the last 10 matches. Of course, it's important to have confidence in such matches. We played 10 matches well. But again, if you make mistakes tomorrow, then whatever good work you did in those 10 matches, it's a chance to get wasted.”
The team likeliest to induce mistakes will be the one gunning for their sixth World Cup title. The fact that Australia have reached the final with only half the team clicking regularly is a testament to how strong they are mentally.
It was on display against South Africa in the semi-final when they fielded like a team full of purpose and ensured that the rub of the green went in their favour.
Of all the teams in World Cricket, Australia are arguably the most equipped to deal with the partisan crowd of this size. Cummins’ men are unlikely to fold like Pakistan did at this very venue when their players were intimidated into submission.
“I think you've got to embrace it. The crowd's obviously going to be very one-sided but it's also in sport there's nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent and that's the aim for us tomorrow,” the Aussie skipper said.
“You've just got to embrace every part of it, every part of a final even you know in the lead-up there's going to be noise and more people and interest and you just can't get overwhelmed.”
For Rohit’s team it will be about embracing the opportunity to play at home amid the crowd this size in a once in a lifetime opportunity. He would want his team to not sway away from the one element that has been the cornerstone of their success: role clarity.
“I think till now, role clarity has played an important role in reaching this far. Whether we perform well or not is another thing, but as long as all the boys are playing, if it is clear, then the work becomes a little easier.
“We put a lot of effort into playing with a clear mindset, identifying clear roles, and which boys will come and bat, which boys will bowl, which boys will stand in the slip. We had planned all this.
“Along with me, all the other 10 players who will play on the ground tomorrow, their focus will be more on their work for the team, rather than thinking about, this is the biggest moment of my life. Of course, it is. There is no doubt. Back of the mind it is there. You can't hide from that.
“But it's really important to remain calm in such situations because if you are calm and composed, then you can play your role as a team well. You can make good decisions in the pressure situation.”
One factor that both captains are aligned on is their neutrality towards the toss. Despite there being chances of dew and Ahmedabad being a chase-friendly venue, going by numbers.
“I think, of all the venues, perhaps this venue - the toss isn't as important as, say, a Mumbai Wankhede Stadium or other venues,” quipped Cummins.
This is largely because, though there are chances of dew later on, the movement for pacers under lights nullifies the advantage.
“This city and venue seems to have more dew than a lot of the other places we play. So perhaps, yeah, that's something to think about ahead of tomorrow. Again, it might only be the last quarter of the game but once that settles in and the ball is sliding on it's quite different to say the first 20 overs where it might be swinging. So, something to consider.
“You’ve got to weigh up batting during the day when it might be a bit easier than under lights, but knowing that late in the second innings it could also slide on,” the Aussie skipper said.
Rohit played down the impact of dew itself, let alone the toss.
“I don't know how much of a dew factor there will be because against that Pakistan game when we trained before the game, there was a lot of dew but there was no dew during the game. And even a few days back at Wankhede, we were training, there was a lot of dew on the game day there wasn't much so that's why I keep saying the toss is not going to be a factor.”
It should be noted that the final will be played on the same pitch as India’s game against Pakistan. Given it was more than a month earlier, this can hardly be called a used pitch. But to rewind back, it assisted spinners and cutters from pacers that day, especially while bowling first. The two bowlers with the most wickets on cutters in this World Cup - Bumrah and Cummins - will be part of the final.
The day that crowns the champions of the 2023 World Cup is one sleep away. Sleep for the neutrals or those unconcerned, but not for the players or the die-hard supporters.
On the day, Cummins wants his men to give their everything.
“You got to be up for it, you got to love it and just know whatever happens it's fine but you just want to finish the day with no regrets.”
Rohit wishes the clarity that has gotten them here helps them take the one last step.
“Till now everything has been good. Hopefully, tomorrow will be the same.”
