ODI World Cup 2023: India's likely playing XI for final against Australia

India is all set to play Australia in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023. Two of the best teams in the world have proceeded to the final of the tournament after having contrasting jorney in the group stage of the tournament. India overcame Australia in their first match of the group stage in the tournament. Since then, India has been on a roll in the tournament, having won all their matches in the lead up to the final. 

Australia lost their first two matches in the tournament. Their fielding and batting was poor in the first two matches. As some wrote them off, Australia came back storming in the tournament. In all their matches since then, Australia have won. Most notably, Australia defeated teams like New Zealand, Pakistan, and England in the league stage. In the semifinal, Australai overcame South Africa to register a spot in the final against India. 

Here is the playing XI of India for the final of the tournament. 

Top Order - Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli 

The Indian top order has world class batters. In the last couple of years, the trio of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli have had some very good numbers. But in the last 3-4 months, they have taken their game to a differnet level altogether. Right from the Asia Cup 2023, they have scored runs for fun. In particular, Rohit has been selfless by providing aggressive starts at the top for India, making the most of the field restrictions.

Gill has contributed well in the last few matches. Having not fully recovered from the dengue fever he got, Gill has not been able to be at his absolute best. Yet, the youngster has stood for his team. Virat Kohli has been in a sensational form with the bat. Virat has been the highest run scorer in the tournament by some distance and is in very good confidence, having broken many records in the process. 

Middle Order - Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja

The Indian middle order has stepped up in the tournament, which has been one of the biggest positives for the team. At number 4 and 5, the two injury retruns, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, have provided stability and aggression. The duo has performed well in the last few matches. As a batter, iyer has been very good in the middle overs. Rahul has been fantastic with the gloves as well. 

Ravindra Jadeja has been fantastic as an All-rounder. With the ball, Jadeja has been economical and taken wickets on many instances. Against Australia and South Africa, Jadeja bowled brillaint spells. With the bat, Jadeja has provided impetus down the order. As a fielder Jadeja has been excellent. Suryakumar Yadav can be handy when he gets chances. So far, he has not got many opportunities to fire with the bat. 

Bowlers - Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav 

Jasprit Bumrah has set the tone with the new ball for India. Against a destructive opening duo like David Warner and Travis Head, the performance of Bumrah would be crucial. Mohammed Shami has been astonishing with the ball. The Indian seamer has claimed wickets for fun in various phases of the game. Kuldeep Yadav has performed well in the middle overs. A big question rises for India ahead of the big match.

Mohammed Siraj has not been in a very good form ahead of the big match. The right-arm pacer has bowled wayward lines and allowed the batters to score runs against him. On the other hand, Ravichandran ashwin has a good record over some of the key batters in the Australian batting order. Although it might tempt the Indian team to consider, they might go with the winning combination for the final.