All roads my lead to the venue of today’s World Cup cricket final between India and Australia in the Indian city of Ahamedabad, but has the global showpiece played up to everyone’s expectations.
The answer is definitely not. Both India and Australia are no strangers to entering finals or winning the World Cup with the Aussies having won the trophy five times and the host country bagging the prize twice.
The organizers the International Cricket Council (ICC) too can make its case that the opportunities that came the way of the two other two semi finalists South Africa and New Zealand had been squandered on yet another occasion.
But to any promoter of the sport that includes the ICC itself, the World Cup may have roped in a mere handful of new followers thanks not to the two protagonists of today but thanks to Afghanistan who beat three former champions England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in all their grace and splendor and added a fourth against the Netherlands.
There can be no favourites in today’s final with Australia having the best record and India being the team that would be hard pressed to pocket the trophy going in as the clear all-conquering top shelf team.
Both teams are also collectively at breaking point after throwing in everything to enter the most looked forward to match of the World Cup as it is with all other global events.
Batsmen can feel the most volume of pressure especially the top five in the line up among both teams to launch an all out attack or dig in that could also make the occasion a bore and the fast bowlers having just one mindset to blast out those at the crease.
But any which way it is cut, the occasion is to bet for.
