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Much before the T20 World Cup 2022's final, Australian batting legend Ricky Ponting has predicted the two teams who will fight for the coveted title in the summit clash on November 13.
Former Australia captain Ponting has hoped that India will lock horns with the defending champions Australia in the final of the T20 World Cup 2022, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The ultimate slugfest is just 10 days away as teams are leaving no stone unturned to fancy their chances to reach the finals. With the Super-12 stages coming to an end, Australia still wait for their fate, while India are fairly assured that they will make it to the semi-finals of the tournament. Unlike their previous campaign, Australia have blown hot and cold in patches, which resulted in a big loss against New Zealand. The washout of the England game also impacted their chance to reach the semi-finals, but as things stand, in group 1, anything can happen.
Australia have the fate in their own hands. Not only they have to win against Afghanistan, they will have to win big against one of the best spin attacks in the world.
"Honestly, who knows who is going to be playing in Melbourne. I hope Australia find a way to get through the group. South Africa are the only unbeaten team left so they will be dangerous but I will say what I did at the start and that is an Australia v India final," Ponting wrote in an ICC column.
As a player, Ponting knows one or two things about big occasions, having won three World Cups as a player. The former batter imparted some wisdom and said that he wants the players to express themselves as much as they can else they might come to regret it later.
"Every big game I went in to, especially when I was captain of Australia, I told the boys to embrace the moment for what it is. Don’t let it run away from you, don’t treat it like any other game, because it is not. The more you can express to yourself and to others that this is a bigger game, then you are not trying to hide anything and the better you will play," Ponting wrote.
Australia are currently in the third position in the points table, with two victories in four games. They need to win this game by a big margin to stay alive in the race for the semi-finals. In their last outing, the hosts secured a 42-run victory over Ireland.
India, who now have six points from four games, will need to beat Zimbabwe in their last Super-12 match to clinch a last four place on November 6 (Sunday).
Australia's squad for T20 World Cup: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
India's squad for T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami. Standby Players: Mohammed Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Shardul Thakur.
