'If He Gets Early Wickets...' - Venkatesh Prasad Reveals India's Biggest Threat In World Cup Final

Former India Cricketer Venkatesh Prasad reckons the Indian batters could have an uphill task ahead of them if Australian left-armer Mitchell Starc picks up a couple of wickets with the new ball in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final.

The Men in Blue will lock horns with the Aussies in the title decider contest at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19. The Australian pacers reduced Rohit Sharma and company to 2/3 in their league-stage clash at Chennai. However, the hosts bounced back to register a comprehensive six-wicket win chasing a meager 199.

The Australian new-ball duo of Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc also troubled the in-form Proteas in the semi-finals reducing them to 8/2 and then 22/4. Mitchell Starc recorded figures of 3/34 in his 10 overs against South Africa. Whereas Josh Hazlewood was clinical with his test match lengths recording a figure of 2/12 in his eight overs with three maiden overs to his name,

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Venkatesh Prasad Feels Australian Seamers Will Pose A Big Threat

During a chatshow on News 18, Venkatesh Prasad was asked whether the Australian pacers could pose a threat to India in the World Cup final. He replied affirmatively, reasoning, “100 per cent, I think they have got all the areas covered. They do have the bowling attack. They have a left-arm seamer in Starc. If he gets a couple of wickets early, in the first 10 overs, it’s going to be really challenging for the Indian batting lineup.”

Venkatesh Prasad added that Josh Hazlewood and skipper Pat Cummins could also pose a threat to the Men in Blue apart from left-armer Mitchell Starc. The former India seamer elaborated, “They have Josh Hazlewood, who pretty much bowls those Test match lines and lengths, just hit the back of length, and because of his height, he gets that extra bit of bounce as well. Not express pace – probably high 130s I would say. Pat Cummins, with his experience, change of pace and variations, is also a handful.”

Mitchell Starc dismissed Ishan Kishan for a golden duck in the league game between the two sides. Ishan Kishan, who was playing for an indisposed Shubman Gill, was caught behind in the first over of India’s chase putting the pressure on the Indian batting line-up.

After Starc’s early strike, Josh Hazlewood got rid of skipper Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer in the next over to put India in a tricky situation with 2/3 on the scoreboard. However, a 165-run fourth-wicket partnership between wicketkeeper KL Rahul (97*) and Virat Kohli (85) ensured that the hosts started their campaign with a win.

Adam Zampa Needs To Elevate His Game

On the flip side, Venkatesh Prasad feels Adam Zampa needs to level up his game. He explained, “Zampa needs to be more effective. In the last game when they played against South Africa in the semi-finals, he was not quite effective. He was not able to bowl the ball in the right areas. He is not a Shane Warne, who could turn the ball from middle and leg to the off-stump.”

The Former Indian pacer pointed out that Zampa failed to pick up a wicket on a spinner-friendly surface in the semi-final against South Africa. He observed, “He was trying to cut down on the runs I suppose, being defensive instead of showing an intent of taking wickets. He went wicketless on a rank turner, I would say, in the second semi-final, he needs to really put up a better show and needs to come up with a couple of wickets.”

Adam Zampa went wicketless against India in Chennai which was also a spinner-friendly wicket. However, he is still the second-highest wicket ticker with 22 wickets to his name. He is just behind Mohammed Shami in the wickets tally who has taken 23 wickets in just six matches.

India will be a part of an ODI World Cup final game for the fourth time. The Men In Blue will be hoping to win a third World Cup title on Sunday. However, Australia will not be an easy opponent as they gear up to extend their record by securing a sixth World Cup title.