Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has given his prediction over the Indian playing XI for the final of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Gambhir said that he does not want Team India to change the winning combination which they have kept during the league stage of the tournament. The much-anticipated final between India and Australia will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
In the inaugural match of the tournament against Australia, Ravichandran Ashwin was part of India’s playing XI, sparking discussions about his potential inclusion in the final. However, Gautam Gambhir thinks that the existing bowling lineup has been performing brilliantly and there is no need to make any kind of change in the playing XI.
While having a conversation with Sportskeeda, the former KKR captain said, “I don’t think so (on whether Ashwin will play). I don’t see a place for him and why would you even tinker with what is working for you? What better performance can you expect from your five bowlers.”
He further added, “It’s a tough call. But I still feel whoever will win the toss will look to bat first. Runs on the board are runs on the board in a final. Let’s see, depending on the conditions. It will depend on the kind of pitch whether we will get a high-scoring or low-scoring encounter.”
Gambhir also gave a special message to Indian players before the much-awaited final. He said, “At the end of the day, it’s just a battle between bat and ball. They don’t know that it’s a final. The occasion is in your head. As professional cricketers, you need to push it aside a bit if you want to deliver under pressure. I hope India wins the World Cup, but even if results don’t go their way, they have played good cricket and have made the country proud.”
