India vs Australia Highlights, World Cup Final: Travis Head's Century Guides Australia To Sixth Title, Defeat India By Six Wickets

A game that will not be easy to digest and not at all easy to forget for Indian fans, as the wait for a World Cup goes on longer than they have thought. The difference between the two sides was Travis Head, who smashed in-form Indian bowlers all around the park. As we wait for India to reach another summit clash, this is a time for Australia and the world to celebrate their sixth World Cup title.

Goodbye from our side for now. Until next time...

"I think we saved our best for last. We have been batting first pretty much for whole tournament and we thought it is a good night to chase down the target."

- Pat Cummins, World Cup winning skipper.

"The result has not gone our way. We were not good enough today. We tried everything but it wasn't supposed to be. 20-30 runs more would have been good, KL and Kohli were stitching a good partnership and we were looking at 270-280 but we kept losing wickets. When you have 240 on the board, you want to take wickets but credit to Head and Labuschagne for putting us out of the game, but I feel wicket got slightly better to bat under lights. Don't want to give that as an excuse. We didn't put enough runs on the board."

- Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma

"Never expected this, not in a million years, truly an exceptional day. Lot better than sitting on the couch at home. Really glad to contribute, the first twenty balls I played gave me a lot of confidence and yea I was able to carry through."

- World Cup Final Player Of the Match, Travis Head

"Bit of a slog but it feels amazing, we were all excited when it got back down to 20 runs. I resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t have to bat like 2015, but obviously Heady got out and I had to go out there and finish the job."

- Glenn Maxwell

Rohit Sharma could not hold back his tears after losing the World Cup final and walked straight to the dressing room after the customary handshakes.  

Heartbreak for over one billion Indians as Australia crush hosts by six wickets to lift their sixth World Cup title. 

Australia are just a few runs away from lifting their sixth World Cup title in Ahmedabad.  

India have almost lost their title hopes as Australia are just odd 30 runs away from their sixth title. Despite testing every bowler in front of Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, India failed to break the partnership. 

AUS 219/3 (39)

Travis Head hits his century off 95 balls as Australia lead to sixth World Cup title. Australia need 49 runs off 90 balls.

AUS 192/3 (35)   

Head and Labuschagne lead Australia to a big win and most importantly to a record-extending sixth title against home favourites India. Jadeja and Kuldeep are proving to be easy bait in these conditions now.

AUS 174/3 (33)

Travis Head has shifted the momentum from India's favour to Australia after building a strong partnership with Marnus Labuschagne. Head completed his fifty and now easily rotating strike to add frustration to India's camp. 

AUS 144/3 (26) 

Both batters look comfortable in the midle, absorbing the pressure and scoring on lose deliveries. India need to break through again to get back in the game.

IND: 240/10 (50)

AUS: 74/3 (14)

Bumrah you beauty! What deception, Smith had no idea. Bumrah outfoxed Smith with a clever slower delivery. Smith gone for 4. (Had he taken the review, it would have saved him!)

IND: 240/10 (50)

AUS: 47/3 (7)

2 Down! The danger man Mitchell Marsh goes for 15. Bumrah gets his first, India back in the game.

IND: 240/10 (50)

AUS: 41/2 (4.3)

The crowd has lost it here at Narendra Modi Stadium as Warner deraprts. Who else but Shami is at the helm of it again!

IND: 240/10 (50)

AUS: 15/1 (1.1)

Australia off to a flyer, Wraner hits three boundaries in first over! Australia on top...

IND: 240/10 (50)

AUS: 15/0 (1)

India finish on 240/10 after 50 overs. This seems like a competitive total. Australia need 241 to win the World Cup final whereas India need to restrict them on or before 239 or 240. 

Final nail in the coffin for Team India as Suryakumar Yadav falls to Josh Hazlewood. He has been terrific with his line and lengths. It was a well directed slower bouncer. IND 227/9 (48) 

Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah have departed in quick succession. Suryakumar Yadav is running out of partners from one end. 

Mitchell Starc gets the big wicket of KL Rahul. Australia are bossing it here in the semifinal. Mohammed Shami walks in to accompany Suryakumar Yadav. IND 211/6 (43)

41 overs have ended as the current stand between Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul is keeping it steady for India. 

OUT!!! Another big wicket as Ravindra Jadeja departs in an effort to tap the ball for a single. Josh Hazlewood take a big wicket. Suryakumar Yadav is the new batter in. 

Fifty for KL Rahul. He has been absolutely fabulous in this tournament. This innings has been testament to that fact. He needs to stay till the end. 

Virat and Kohli did well with the recovery as they planned to take things deep and fire later with a few wickets in hand. But it was Cummins who put them on the back foot with the massive wicket of Kohli. Rahul has to put his A game forward and also take the remaining batters to get the best out of them in order to get as many runs as possible in the remaining overs.

IND: 162/4 (32)

This is huge for Australia as Kohli walks back to the pavilion. A slower delivery from Cummins and Kohli tried to play it diligently but dragged it back onto the stumps. Cummins gets the big fish as Kohli departs for 54. India go four down.

IND: 148/4 (28.3)

Virat Kohli continues his magnificent form in the tournament as he brings up yet another half-century. He has been key in this partnership as well and will have to convert it into a big one to help the team post a much-needed big total.

IND: 135/3 (26)

Boundaries have dried up as of now. No fours or sixes have been scored in the 50-run stand between Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. They are trying to take things deep considering that the team has Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja to follow as batters.

IND: 131/3 (25)

The Australians have been superb so far in the field. They have stopped multiple boundaries with their commendable efforts. This is the Aussie mindset and brilliance which is witnessed on the big occasions like this.

IND: 104/3 (17)

India are in desperate need of a partnership here with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul well-equipped to do so. Virat has looked good in the middle so far. India were off to a promising start before they Shubman Gill. Rohit kept going but fell prey to a spectacular catch from Travis Head. He was followed by Shreyas Iyer who was dismissed by Pat Cummins. IND: 89/3 (13)

Another one bites the dust as Pat Cummins picks up in-form Shreyas Iyer with a beautiful out-swinger. This is tremendous from Australia. IND 81/3 (10.3) 

OUT!!! Travis Head takes a stunner as Rohit Sharma falls in an effort to counter-attack. Glenn Maxwell takes a wicket as India lose their second wicket. 

OUT!!! Mitchell Starc draws first blood. Shubman Gill was looking for a boundary but played it straight to mid-on. Adam Zampa did no mistake. Virat Kohli walks in.

Mitchell Starc has been pretty much spot on with his line and length giving almost nothing to the Indian openers. On the other hand, both Rohit and Gill are taking their time. 

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill give a fiery start to the Indian team in the powerplay. Indian skipper hit back-to-back fours off Hazlewood in the second over.

IND 13/0 (2)

"I would have batted first. Looks a good pitch, big game, put runs on the board. It's going to be amazing, everytime we play here, the crowd come out in large numbers. The biggest occasion in the cricketing event. We have to stay nice and calm. It's a dream come true to be captaining the team in the final. I know what lies in front of us. We need to play well and get the result. You got to make the right decisions on the field. That's something we've done consistently in the last 10 games. We are playing the same team," Rohit Sharma said at the toss.

"We are gonna have a bowl first. Looks like a dry wicket. Dew is a factor. It gets better to bat on. Tough start to the tournament, haven't really put a foot wrong ever since. It's all set up perfectly. We've played these guys a lot. Same team as the semi-final," Pat Cummins at the toss.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins has won the toss and invited India to bat first in the ODI World Cup 2023 final at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.  

Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg feels that in-form Virat Kohli will make big impact in the final by playing another memorable knock in the summit clash.

“I think the Australian bowling line-up has got the goods to unsettle the Indian batting line-up. I think Virat Kohli is going to have a day out, he’s going to make another big score. He’s going to bat through this innings and try and stabilize this Indian batting order. The likes of Rohit Sharma and (Shubman) Gill coming upfront and trying to be aggressive against the likes of (Josh) Hazlewood and (Mitchell) Starc with the new ball is going to be an interesting contest.”

Plethora of fans arrive at Narendra Modi Stadium, world's largest cricket stadium, to see the final clash of the ODI World Cup. Home favourites India are the front-runner to lift the trophy but Australia have the added advantage of playing the 2015 World Cup final with almost the same squad.

The invincible Indian team has left their hotel in Ahmedabad and is heading to the Narendra Modi Stadium to face Australia in the finale of the quadrennial event. 

India defeated West Indies by 43 runs in the 1983 WC final.

India lost against Australia by 125 runs in the 2003 WC final.

India defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the 2011 WC final.

Australia and India have met once in the World Cup final where the former emerged victorious in 2003.

In World Cup matches, both teams have faced each other 13 times where Australia have the upper hand with eight wins under their belt while India won five matches.

In ODI matches, India and Australia have faced each other in 150 matches. Australia have won 83 whereas India emerged victorious in 57 matches. 10 matches ended without a result.

"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. Yeah, 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. 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."

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan, Prasidh Krishna

Australia: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis(w), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins(c), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Sean Abbott, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Cameron Green

It's the day of final action in the ODI World Cup 2023 as India and Australia set to play an exciting brand of cricket to entertain the massive crowd at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Both teams have been in sublime form in the tournament. While India have been undefeated in the tournament so far with 10 wins in 10 matches they have played so far, Australia picked up remarkable momentum by winnings eight successive matches to make it to the summit clash.

As per reports, the India vs Australia World Cup 2023 final will be held on the black soil pitch of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad that was used for the league-stage match between India and Pakistan. 

The pitch in Ahmedabad has assisted spinners in the 2023 World Cup so far. 

Conditions will be warm and sunny during the daytime with no rain possibility during the evening and night hours as well. The weather is expected to remain bright and sunny for the India vs Australia World Cup 2023 Final in Ahmedabad.  

Take a look at the full Weather Report for the final match.

Virat Kohli has been the most consistent batter in the ODI World Cup 2023 so far and is the leading run-getter as of now with 711 runs to his name in 10 matches at an average of 101.57 and a strike rate of 90.69. 

He has three centuries and four cities to his name and scored his 50th ODI century in between in the semi-final match against New Zealand in Mumbai.

The major reason for India's consistency in the ODI World Cup 2023 has been their balanced combination. They were forced to go for only five major bowlers after Hardik Pandya was ruled out due to injury. The Men in Blue played the rest of the matches with the same playing XI.

But the Australian challenge brings out an option to include Ravichandran Ashwin as a replacement who has the ability to trouble the Aussies with his mindful tactics and of course his promising record against them across formats, especially in the longest format of the game.

With David Warner and Travis Head being the two most explosive batters in the Aussie team, India might go for Ashwin by benching either Mohammed Siraj or Suryakumar Yadav, considering the off-spinner's domination over the left-handed batters over the years.

Here is the full list of umpires and match officials for the final:

On-field umpires: Richard Illingworth and Richard Kettleborough

Match referee: Andrew Pycroft (Zimbabwe)

Third umpire: Joel Wilson

Fourth umpire: Christopher Gaffaney

Kass Naidoo, Ravi Shastri, Ricky Ponting, Ian Smith, Sanjay Manjrekar, Aaron Finch, Nasser Hussain, Harsha Bhogle, Dinesh Karthik, Matthew Hayden, Eoin Morgan, Ian Bishop, Shane Watson, Sunil Gavaskar and Mark Howard.

"There was no grass on that wicket but this has a bit of grass on it. The wicket from India vs Pakistan was a lot drier. I still haven't looked at the wicket today. But from my understanding, it's going to be on a slower side. We'll see the pitch tomorrow and assess. The temperature has dropped a bit as well. I don't know how much of a factor the dew will be because in that Pakistan game there was a lot of dew during training but not on matchday. Same happened at Wankhede where there was dew one day before but not during the semis. I don't think the toss will play a big role," he said.

Lost by 6 wickets against India

Lost by 134 runs against South Africa

Won by 5 wickets against Sri Lanka

Won by 62 runs against Pakistan

Won by 309 runs against Netherlands

Won by 5 runs against New Zealand

Won by 33 runs against England

Won by 3 wickets against Afghanistan

Won by 8 wickets against Bangladesh

Won Semi-Final by 3 wickets against South Africa

Won by 6 wickets against Australia

Won by 8 wickets against Afghanistan

Won by 7 wickets against Pakistan

Won by 7 wickets against Bangladesh

Won by 4 wickets against New Zealand

Won by 100 runs against England

Won by 302 runs against Sri Lanka

Won by 243 runs against South Africa

Won by 160 runs against Netherlands

Won Semi-Final by 70 runs against New Zealand

"It would be huge," he said. "We were all kids not too long ago, watching some of those great teams win the 1999, 2003, and 2007 World Cups."

"To be captain (of a World Cup-winning team) would be an absolute privilege...it'd be awesome. It (the World Cup) has got the longest history of a world event where all the teams compete.

"You only get a shot at it every four years. So even if you have a long career, you might only play in two of these events. 2015 is still a career highlight for me, but I think tomorrow, if we win, might pip it."

The aggressive and explosive batting style of Glenn Maxwell, highlighted by his remarkable double century against Afghanistan and a rapid century against the Netherlands, has added a dynamic dimension to Australia's batting lineup. The team will be looking to capitalize on Maxwell's form to counter India's formidable bowling attack.

Adam Zampa's leg-spin wizardry, supported by a fired-up pace attack, proved crucial in Australia's journey to the championship clash.

Australia, led by the resilient Pat Cummins, faced early setbacks in the tournament with two initial defeats but went on an eight-match winning streak to secure their spot in the final.

India's bowling attack, led by the dynamic duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, has been instrumental in stifling opposition batsmen, both in the powerplay and at the death. The left-arm spin combination of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja has further added to India's bowling prowess.

Hello and welcome to the live cricket coverage of the World Cup 2023 final between India and Australia here at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.