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Welcome to our live coverage of the Cricket World Cup final between Australia and India.
Pat Cummins and his side will be hunting a huge upset when play begins at 7:30pm AEDT.
India is yet to lose a match in this World Cup – and has been utterly dominant from the opening game of the tournament.
Follow all the latest scores in our match centre above. This story will also automatically update with the latest news.
9:30PM: HATS OFF TIME, SPIN TO WIN?
The stadium finds its voice in Ahmedabad, as Virat Kohli reaches the fifty mark and what a tournament he has had, notching five straight scores of over fifty at this World Cup.
Australia are persisting with spin and a little bit of Mitch Marsh, chewing up overs without conceding big runs, before the main bowlers come back towards the death.
The shackles were loosened slightly, with Rahul finding this partnership’s first boundary in 97 balls, with a little lap shot behind the keeper off Glenn Maxwell.
Right now the score predictor has the hosts hitting 317.
After 27 overs, India are 3/142.
9:10PM: MIDDLE OVER SLOG BEGINS
The Indian run rate has gone under six runs an over, with these two obviously set on building a platform for the hitters at the end.
Kohli is playing with a beautiful ease, manipulating the field for fun at times.
This however, might be exactly what Australia want outside of taking wickets, with the boundaries well and truly dried up now.
The golden arm Travis Head has been bought on to bowl, could he break this partnership?
After 22 overs India are 3/122.
8:55PM: INDIA STEADY SHIP UNDER AUSSIE HEAT
The crowd is certainly not as raucous now after those wickets, combined with some methodical batting from Rahul and Kohli.
The sting was also momentarily taken out of the game by a protestor who came on the ground, with “stop bombing Palestine” written on their shirt.
Rahul and Kohli, two outstanding Test batsmen know how to get through these tough spells, keeping the strike ticking over.
After 18 overs India are 3/107.
8:22PM: HEAD BLINDER TURNS WORLD CUP FINAL
Australia is suddenly on top with India losing two quick wickets, leaving them in strife at 3/81.
The home side lost 2/5 with a Travis Head blinder at point to dismiss Rohit Sharma having the potential to go down as a momentous World Cup final moment.
“One of the great catches you will ever see, a great match turner,” said Ian Smith in commentary.
Only moments later, Pat Cummins dismissed the dangerous Shreyas Iyer.
India was cruising at 1/75 before the double strike.
8:15PM: INDIAN ICONS CHARGE, SHARMA FALLS
The class of Kohli and Cummins are on the march, dispatching multiple Aussie batsmen to and over the ropes.
Sharma, as is always the case when on fire, looks to be doing it with such ease that it appears his only way out is a personal mistake.
Both batsmen have been very keen to get forward, showing that there may not be much bounce on the wicket.
The Aussies have continued to bowl slower off and leg-cutters to try and fool the batsmen.
And Sharma does make the error, charging down Maxwell and Travis Head taking a screamer at cover point, going back with the flight.
After the powerplay, India are 2/80.
8:00PM: SHARMA LIVES, GILL FALLS
The plan worked for the Aussies with the short ball to Sharma, but it falls agonisingly short of Head at square-leg.
The Indian skipper follows that up with two fours and a six to finish Hazlewood’s over, and he is off to the start the Aussies would not want.
Sharma has used his feet exceptionally, but now his partner is headed back to the sheds.
Gill hits at one on a good length across his body, and it lands right in the lap of Adam Zampa at mid-on, a needed breakthrough.
Sharma is off to a hot start dispathing Mitch Starc for six again, can the Aussies get the big wicket of Kohli early?
After five overs, India are 1/37.
7:40PM: STARC, SHARMA BATTLE BEGINS
The Indian skipper made the hot start in their semi-final, but is more cautious today against Mitch Starc who immediately hits him on the pads but that wasn’t hitting a second set of stumps.
Josh Hazlewood grabs an early edge off Sharma but it rolls past Steve Smith at second slip, and Sharma goes on the attack.
Back to back fours off Hazlewood, a beautiful cover drive, then not as textbook swinging across the line but the result is the same.
Sharma swings hard again and this time it barely misses off stump.
First ball to Gill and it’s an edge that just falls short of Marsh.
The crowd have been whipped into a frenzy early.
After two overs, India are 0/13.
7:00PM: AUSSIES MAKE BOLD TOSS CALL
Australia has named an unchanged XI for the World Cup final on a pitch that the Aussies expect to turn significantly.
Pat Cummins won the toss and Australia will bowl first, with Cummins backing his side to chase whatever is needed.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma looked pleased with the call, saying he would have batted if given the chance.
Australia’s decision to bowl first will raise eyebrows on a cracking pitch likley to deteriorate. But the Aussies will expect the dew to come into play, and India prefers to chase.
There is significant crackage at both ends, heightening the need for Marnus Labuschagne’s stabilising effect in the middle order.
The crowd is building at Ahmedabad’s colossal Narendra Modi Stadium, with more than 100,000 set to fill the renovated venue named after the Indian Prime Minister.
India will also play with the same team that won their semi-final against New Zealand, resisting the urge to bring in Ravi Ashwin on a deck that could spin.
STOP KOHLI – AND SIX OTHER WAYS FOR AUSSIES TO WIN WC FINAL
– Robert Craddock
This rampaging Indian cricket team has had a World Cup to make statisticians fall to their knees in awe – but they are not unbeatable.
If Cup finals were played on computers this one would be over already given India – incredibly – own three of the tournaments’ top four batting averages and the top four places in the bowling averages.
That’s incredible. Unprecedented.
It means teams facing them confront a statistical brick wall whether they bat or bowl featuring a string of batsmen averaging 50-plus and bowlers averaging in the teens per wicket.
But guess what? Australia has beaten India five times in their last 10 one-day starts and should have beaten them in this tournament if not for one dropped catch. This year India lost to Bangladesh and the West Indies. They do have off days.
Let’s identify some cracks in the wall …
THE BIG FIVE
India have five outstanding bowlers … then thin air.
The mid-tournament loss of all-rounder Hardik Pandya means India have no bowling all-rounder or high class sixth bowling option.
Their next best options – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – have taken just one wicket each for the tournament.
Taking one of the big five down won’t be easy but if it could happen, India’s entire bowling plan gets thrown out of kilter.
We have identified a likely target …
TAKE DOWN SIRAJ
Mohammed Siraj is having a solid World Cup (13 wickets at 32) but he has been India’s least effective fast man. New Zealand picked him out and went hard in their last game when he took 1-78 off nine.
He is a likely target again.
BAT FIRST
History can at times be a weapon in big games (ask South Africa).
India has not won a white ball World Cup since 2011 and the best way of turning a milestone into a millstone is for Australia to bat first and ask India to chase down a formidable total to make history.
GET KOHLI
Easier said than done but Australia must try and ask India to come up with a hero other than Virat Kolhi.
While the entire top order has been on fire, Kohli (711 runs at 101) has been in a league of his own.
In-form Josh Hazlewood is worth a crack at Kohli.
He recently snared him four times in a row in ODI matches and knows him well as they were IPL teammates for the past two years.
DON’T BE SHAMI-WIPED
Finals are won by playing the ball and not the reputation but Australia must accept that caution and respect might ultimately be the best tactic against the world’s most underrated bowler, swingman Mohammed Shami.
Shami’s jaw-dropping effort to average a wicket every 11 balls this tournament (23 at nine apiece) means there is no crime in occasionally letting go his dangerous outswinger. If Shami takes 0-30 off 10 it’s deceptively good result for Australia.
TALE OF THE TAIL
India have a relatively long and weak tail starting with Shami at No 8.
The challenge is chopping down the tall timber in front of them to get there.
But if you do …
PLAY LABUSCHAGNE
Heavy duty finals require heavy duty players. With India boasting one of the most impressive attacks fielded in World Cup cricket Marnus Labuschagne is worth retention for the final match of the tournament. This will be a game of incredible pressure – just the sort of games he dreams about.
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