File photo of Indian cricket team.© AFP
Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh feels the Rohit Sharma-led side will only lose the Cricket World Cup 2023 final if they perform poorly. Unbeaten India square off against Australia in the final on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Yuvraj, who was part of the World Cup winning squad in 2011, also on home soil, feels Australia would need to bring their A-game to beat a “dominant” India team, which is yet to lose a match in the tournament.
“Given how India’s graph has been in the World Cup, I don’t think they will perform badly. The only way India can lose this World Cup is through their mistakes. I feel they are high on confidence at the moment. Australia dominated the 2003 World Cup and although we played well and reached the final, Australia dominated us. This time, I feel India have dominated the tournament. Australia will need to play their best cricket in the final, or else they have no chance against India,” Yuvraj told Sports Today.
Yuvraj, however, noted that the Pat Cummins-led side is not a team that you can take lightly.
“Australia know how to handle pressure. They have won the World Cup so many times. Even in the semifinal against South Africa, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc showed great composure as batters even when their specialist batters were all out. They win big matches because they have that big match temperament,” he added.
India captain Rohit also praised Australia on the eve of the final, labelling them a “complete side”.
“They are a very complete side. We want to focus on what we want to do. We don’t want to worry about what kind of form they are in rather focus on our cricket and plans,” Rohit said at the pre-match presser.
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