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The legendary England batter Kevin Pietersen has made a big prediction in amidst a thrilling World Cup 2023 final between India and Australia which is being played at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19, Sunday.
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Pietersen took to X (previously known as Twitter) and said that it's for Australia's to lose as Indian batters ran out of steam in the grand finale and posted a modest total.
On a challenging pitch, India were restricted to a total of 240 runs. India made a promising start with captain Rohit Sharma (47) showcasing his aggressive batting style and forming a 30-run partnership with Shubman Gill, who managed just four runs. Following the fall of the first wicket, Virat Kohli (51) stepped up and played a solid innings. However, skipper Rohit attempt to take on the bowlers resulted in his dismissal. India's struggles continued with the loss of Shreyas Iyer (4), leaving them in a precarious position. KL Rahul (66) played a crucial role, but he lacked the necessary support from the other end as the Australian bowlers consistently claimed wickets.
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Suryakumar Yadav's 18-run knock proved instrumental in guiding India to a total of 240 runs. Australia's bowling attack was spearheaded by Mitchell Starc, who claimed three wickets, while Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins contributed with two scalps each.
Weighing in on the match's outcome, former England cricketer Pietersen expressed his belief that Australia holds a significant advantage and they can only lose this match with their own mistake. He elaborated that a target between 270 and 290 would have posed a much greater challenge for the chasing team.
“This is Australia’s to lose. The batters will be sitting in the rooms thinking 240 in 300 balls with two new balls and power plays shouldn’t be difficult… 270/290 would have me as a batter thinking something different,” Pietersen said on X.
The second innings began with India committing a big blunder by dropping David Warner catch on the very first ball. The ball slipped through the hands of both slip fielders and resulted in a boundary. Fortunately, Mohammed Shami came to India's rescue in the following over, dismissing the dangerous Warner.
Australia has adopted an aggressive approach in the chase, seeking to accumulate runs quickly. The match remains a nail-biter, keeping the spectators on the edge of their seats. Pietersen yet again took to X to say, “India has to take EVERY SINGLE HALF CHANCE. Let’s watch…”
India's Playing XI
Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
Australia's Playing XI
Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis(w), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins(c), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
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