Mitchell Marsh, an Australian batsman, foresaw the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup finals long before play on Indian soil even began. Marsh said earlier this year that Australia and India will face off in the international championship game during the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Australian cricket player was in India at the time to play for the Delhi Capitals in a franchise competition. Marsh’s prediction came to pass as Australia defeated South Africa to secure a spot in the summit match, and the hosts defeated New Zealand in the semifinals. In their last meeting, which took place in the 2003 final, Australia headed by Ricky Ponting emerged victorious, beating India under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly.
Mitchell Marsh also predicted how this World Cup final would turn out. He thought Australia would win handily, and that India would suffer an uncommon batting collapse in the process of chasing. As stated by Marsh on a Spotify podcast for the Delhi Capitals, “Australia will maintain their perfect record and win against India in the championship.” Final score: Australia 450/2, India all out 65.
It is difficult to accept Marsh’s scoring projection given India’s performance in the domestic campaign. Thus far in the competition, watching the Indian hitters has been a delight. Virat Kohli was always there to absorb the load during the middle overs, even though Rohit Sharma has often shown his big-hitting ability in the powerplay. In the prior games, other batsmen like Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul also shown some excellent play.
From a bowling standpoint, India has also shown their talent. Mohammed Shami is now in his prime. The experienced bowler is presently the tournament’s top wicket-taker with 23 scalps in 6 outings, despite missing the opening few games. India was able to keep its opponents to double digit scoring twice during the league stage.
Recalling the 2003 World Cup final, Australia defeated India by 125 runs at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium. Leading from the lead, Australia scored a massive 359 runs in the pivotal match thanks to a 140-run knock by Ricky Ponting. Adam Gilchrist scored fifty runs, while Damien Martyn hit an undefeated eighty-eight from eighty-four balls.
Early in the chase, India lost Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket. Apart from Rahul Dravid’s 47 and Virender Sehwag’s 82, there was no other standout performance on the scoreboard. In 39.2 overs, India eventually lost every wicket they had.
