Ahmedabad: Sourav Ganguly’s men were badly outplayed by Australia in the 2003 ODI World Cup final.
Skipper Ricky Ponting led from the front that day at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium, smashing 140 in just 121 balls to set the tone for a 125-run victory.
Twenty years later, the men in blue have the chance to avenge that humiliating loss on home turf when they face Pat Cummins’ team at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Sunday.
Current India coach Rahul Dravid was part of that losing Indian team in 2003. And skipper Rohit Sharma wants to win the Cup for Dravid.
Speaking to the media on the eve of the final, Rohit said that Dravid wants to be a part of this big occasion and it’s up to the team to win the title for him.
Rohit showered praise on Dravid for his role in providing clarity to players, which has helped India win all 10 matches in the 2023 World Cup so far.
“His role has been absolutely massive, getting that clarity which I keep talking about. It’s one thing for me to think about and the other thing is if the coach agrees to certain things. You know looking at how Rahul bhai has played his cricket and how I’m playing these days… Obviously, it’s quite contrasting. For him to give us that liberty to go and play the way we want to play, says a lot about him,” said Rohit.
“The way he stood by the players in difficult times especially during the T20 World Cup, where we had a good run up until that semifinal where we lost. How he reacted to certain situations and interacted with the players was helpful. He wants to be part of this big occasion, and it’s for us to do it for him,” Rohit asserted.
Team India, playing their fourth ODI World Cup final, will be looking to lift the coveted prize for the third time.
Australia, on the other hand, will be involved in a record-extending eighth ODI World Cup final, having already been crowned champions five times.
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