Veteran Australian spinner Nathan Lyon believes that the two most successful teams in the history of the Cricket World Cup —Australia and India — are destined to meet in the final of the 2023 edition of the tournament at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19.
Both teams have been in dominant form in recent months, with Australia securing a thrilling five-run victory over New Zealand in a high-scoring match on Saturday, October 28, and India overcoming a slow start to defeat England by a convincing margin of 100 runs on Sunday, October 29.
Lyon, who was speaking on SEN 1170 Breakfast, said that he believes India are the favourites to win the tournament, but he warned that South Africa are also a dangerous team with a powerful batting lineup.
"I honestly believe it will be an Australia v India final. India is the number one (favourite) for me (and) it's been exciting to watch," Lyon said.
"That being said, I think South Africa are still a dangerous team with a powerful batting lineup. You just have to look at their number three in Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen and then David Miller."
Lyon also acknowledged that India will be under a lot of pressure to win the tournament, given that they are the hosts and have a passionate fan base that expects them to succeed. "India also has the pressure of the whole nation who are expecting them to win and their fans are so passionate. In finals, Australia has the runs on the board so hopefully they can go all the way," he said.
India are currently leading the points table with an impressive six victories out of as many games, followed by South Africa with five wins and a single loss. New Zealand and Australia are both tied on four wins each, but the Kiwis have a slightly better net run rate.
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