“I want every player to be ready” - Rohit Sharma on India’s likely playing XI for the 2023 World Cup final 

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma has stated that the think tank hasn’t decided anything about the playing XI for the 2023 World Cup final against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. He added that he is expecting each and every member of the team to be ready for the big day.

The Men in Blue have gone in with an unchanged playing XI for the last few matches of the 2023 World Cup. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj have been the three pacers, while Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja the two spinners. However, some reports have been doing the rounds that the hosts might be tempted to play a third spinner in Ravichandran Ashwin, keeping Australia’s weakness against the turning ball in mind.

At a pre-match press conference on Saturday, Rohit did not give away anything with regard to India’s playing XI for the final.

"We haven't decided anything. All 15 can play. Opportunity is there for everyone, and we will assess the pitch tomorrow, and 12 to 13 are ready to play. We haven't decided on 11. I want every player to be ready," the Indian captain said.

Earlier in the day, Australian captain Pat Cummins confirmed that the World Cup final will be played on a used pitch in Ahmedabad - the one on which India faced Pakistan on October 14.

When asked about it, Rohit replied that the track for the final looks a bit different than the one used for the Pakistan game.

“There was no grass on that wicket but this has a bit of grass on it. The wicket from India vs Pakistan was a lot drier. I still haven't looked at the wicket today. But from my understanding, it's going to be on a slower side. We'll see the pitch tomorrow and assess. The temperature has dropped a bit as well,” Rohit commented.

“I don't know how much of a factor the dew will be because in that Pakistan game there was a lot of dew during training but not on match day. Same happened at Wankhede where there was dew one day before but not during the semis. I don't think the toss will play a big role,” he opined.

India beat Pakistan by seven wickets when the arch-rivals clashed during the league stage of the 2023 World Cup.

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“We understand the importance of what Australia can do” - Rohit Sharma

While India have been unbeaten in the 2023 World Cup, Australia are also on an eight-match winning spree. Rohit admitted that the Aussies will pose a challenge in the final.

“They have won their last eight matches and they played really well. So, it’s going to be a good contest. Both teams deserve to be at this stage, playing the finals. And we do understand the importance of what Australia can do,” the 36-year-old stated.

India and Australia met in Chennai during the league stage, with the hosts winning the clash by six wickets.