In a thrilling semi-final, the five-time champions edged out South Africa by three wickets in a tense chase of 213 in Kolkata on Thursday, marking their eighth World Cupfinal appearance.Starc, who returned figures of 3-34 to help dismiss South Africa for 212, expressed the significance of the occasion to reporters, stating, “It’s a big occasion, it’s a World Cup final.”
“Guys in both changing rooms have been there before in different formats. Both teams played each other in the (World Test Championship) Final earlier in the year. I don’t think either changing room is new to big occasions. It’s going to be loud. No doubt there’s going to be different amounts of pressure at different times on both teams. I think it’s just going to be a great spectacle of cricket.”
India, led by Rohit Sharma, has been in impeccable form, securing 10 wins from 10 games in the tournament. Starc acknowledged India’s dominance, saying, “They’ve been the best in the tournament so far, and we both find ourselves in the finals.”
Reflecting on Australia’s journey in the tournament, Starc noted, “We played them in our first game of the tournament; now we get to take them on in the last. What a place to be at the end of a World Cup.”
Australia faced initial setbacks with losses to India and South Africa but made a remarkable comeback, winning seven straight league matches to reach the final four.
Looking ahead to the final, Starc recognized the threat posed by Indian spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, saying, “I guess we’ll find out when we get to Ahmedabad tomorrow and see if it’s a fresh wicket or an old wicket.”
ICC World Cup: Australia beat South Africa by 3 wickets in second semifinal to set up title clash with India
The cricketing world awaits with bated breath as the stage is set for a thrilling showdown between Australia and India in the World Cup final this Sunday.
(With inputs from AFP)