Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India]: Australia pacer Mitchell Starc, who took three wickets against India in the final, stated that chasing 241 runs will "not be easy" on a dry pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Australia put on a stunning display of tight and belligerent bowling to bundle out India for 240 after pacers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins broke the back of the hosts' batting line-ups early in the innings.
Starc got three wickets--Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami--as Australia bundled out India for 240 in Ahmedabad in the World Cup final.
"We bowled second here against England and it was a little dewy. The wicket (today) is a little bit dry and hopefully the dew comes in and we don't see any reverse in the second innings. It's not an easy wicket to bat on; perhaps the easiest time to bat is against the hard new ball and there are runs to be scored. It is not going to be easy, but it is what you ask for; it is a World Cup final. What more can you ask for?" Starc said in a post-innings presentation.
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul's gritty half-centuries powered India to 240 against Australia in the ICC World Cup 2023 final at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
The five-time champions Australia chose to bat first, and the players backed up skipper Pat Cummins' choice with disciplined bowling and superb fielding in front of a sea of blue jerseys from India.
After skipper Rohit Sharma's attacking 47, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul scored 54 and 66, respectively, but the ball dominated the bat on a sluggish, dry pitch.
"You can always plan for things; the way we contributed with the ball was fantastic first up and now out there (need to do the job) with the bat. There is not a whole heap of help for the seam bowlers and swing bowlers. I was trying to do a few different things and vary the pace a little bit. Patty (Cummins) and Josh (Hazlewood) were outstanding and obviously there was a little bit of reverse at the back end. Hopefully, we restricted them to enough runs," he added.
Australia now needs 241 to clinch their sixth World Cup title, while India is chasing their third crown after 1983 and 2011 victories.
—ANI