Photo by Darrian Traynor-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
The biggest Cricket World Cup final takes place on Sunday.
Over a month of incredible competition comes to a head on Sunday in the final of the Cricket World Cup between India and Australia in Ahmedabad. It’s without a question a matchup between the tournament’s best two teams, and today we dive into what makes this matchup so fascinating — and why it’s worth tuning in.
The scale and scope of the 2023 World Cup final will be unlike anything we’ve seen before. India last reached the final as host in 2011, where they beat Sri Lanka in a stunning match in Mumbai — but that stadium in Mumbai only had a capacity of 39,000. That changes in a serious way on Sunday in the mammoth Narendra Modi Stadium and its world-leading 132,000 seats. Indian fans and traveling Aussies are going to rock the place like never before, making this one of the biggest matches in the history of cricket.
The 2023 Indian team in a word: Consistency
India is a juggernaut. There’s no simpler way to put it. They’re a perfect 10-0 in the 2023 World Cup, rolling through the competition with relative ease. It’s difficult to find a weakness with this team, as they continue to lean on brilliant batting from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, paired with the incredible bowling of Mohammed Shami, who has blown up this tournament with his blistering fast bowling.
There is no question the home team is the favorite to win this final. Every single time this team takes the pitch there’s an expectation of brilliance, and this team just keeps on exceeding it.
The 2023 Australian team in a word: Explosiveness
If this Australia team were to play India 100 times in a row they’d lose over 90 percent of their matches — but the World Cup final is a one-off. When it comes to explosive potential the Aussies are the best in the world right now, and if they hit their highs not even India can contend.
We saw this when Glenn Maxwell scored a world-record 201 runs earlier in the tournament, which immediately overshadowed teammate David Warner’s 163 runs. On the other side there’s Adam Zampa, who can both give up runs by the dozens, but also completely dominate a game depending on how the mood strikes him.
Is this going to be an incredibly difficult task for Australia? Absolutely. Do they have the potential to stun? Yes.
How to watch the 2023 Cricket World Cup final in the USA
ESPN has exclusive licensing in the United States for the World Cup, and will carry the game live with both English and Hindi on separate streams.
Sunday, November 19 — 3:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+
ESPN+ is available both as a standalone app, and through Hulu with an ESPN+ subscription.
