World Cup 2023: From a dodgy start to beating India in final, Australia's road to winning their sixth title

Australia’s wait for a record-extending sixth ODI World Cup title was over on Sunday as Pat Cummins and Co outplayed hosts India in Sunday’s final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table Australia had advanced to the final by defeating South Africa by three wickets in a nervy semi-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. For India, their six-wicket defeat to the Aussies in Ahmedabad was a horrific reminder of the 2003 World Cup title decider, in which Australia beat India by 125 runs.

Here we take a look at Australia’s road to the 2023 World Cup title. Match 1: Australia vs India [caption id=“attachment_13220362” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Australia had India down and out in Chennai before Virat Kohli and KL Rahul came to the Men in Blue’s rescue. AP[/caption] Australia started their World Cup 2023 campaign on a bitter note as they went down by six wickets at the hands of India. The Aussies suffered a middle-order collapse to get bowled out for 199, but had India on the mat at 2/3. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, however, fought back admirably to guide the team home to a six-wicket victory. Match 2: Australia vs South Africa Australia suffered their second defeat of the competition, when they were beaten by South Africa by 134 runs in Lucknow. South Africa posted 311/7 on the board at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium riding on Quinton de Kock’s second century in as many outings. Kagiso Rabada then grabbed 3/33 to bowl Australia out for 177. Match 3: Australia vs Sri Lanka Australia finally got going with a five-wicket win against Sri Lanka in Lucknow. Adam Zampa’s four-wicket haul limited Sri Lanka to 209, and Australia comfortably chased down the target with 88 balls to spare. Match 4: Australia vs Pakistan Australia posted 367 against Pakistan. Mitchell Marsh (121) and David Warner’s explosive (163) batting propelled Australia to victory by 62 runs. Adam Zampa’s four-wicket haul restricted Pakistan to 305. Match 5: Australia vs The Netherlands Australia dominated The Netherlands, scoring 399/8 with explosive performances from David Warner, Steve Smith, and Glenn Maxwell. Adam Zampa stepped up with a four-wicket haul and ensured an emphatic 309-run victory for Australia. Match 6: Australia vs New Zealand Travis Head made a remarkable comeback for Australia as he registered a sublime century to guide Australia to 388. Despite a fightback from New Zealand, Australia secured a thrilling five-run win. Match 7: Australia vs England Led by Chris Woakes, the England bowlers limited Australia to 286. Despite Ben Stokes and Dawid Malan’s efforts, Adam Zampa’s three-wicket haul secured a 33-run victory for Australia. Match 8: Australia vs Afghanistan [caption id=“attachment_13373992” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell celebrates after guiding his team to an emphatic victory over Afghanistan in their World Cup match in Mumbai. AP[/caption] Star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell played, arguably, the greatest-ever ODI innings as his unbeaten 201 secured a miraculous three-wicket victory for Australia over Afghanistan. Match 9: Australia vs Bangladesh In their final league match, Australia did not face much trouble as they comfortably chased down a target of 307 against Bangladesh. Match 10: Australia vs South Africa Australia clinched a hard-fought three-wicket semi-final win against South Africa in tricky conditions at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The Aussies had reduced the Proteas to 24/4 at one stage before a valiant ton by David Miller rescued them to 212. Australia would then start on an explosive note and survive another fightback from the South Africans, this time led by the spinners, before getting over the line with three wickets and 16 deliveries to spare. Final: India vs Australia  India had come into the title clash against Australia as favourites as not just the hosts, but also having maintained a 10-match winning streak. But the final of a Cricket World Cup can be a different ball game altogether. It certainly was. Australia won the toss and put India to bat first. While Rohit Sharma (47 off 31 balls) got off to a promising start, the India skipper was dismissed by Glenn Maxwell in the 10th over, just a few overs after India had lost Shubman Gill. Later, Virat Kohli (54) and KL Rahul (66) forged a 66-run stand for the fourth wicket, but boundaries were hard to come by, and India were eventually bowled out for 240. Australia were restricted to 47/3 at one stage following the dismissals of David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith. However, a 192-run stand between Travis Head (137) and Marnus Labuschagne (58*) would set the platform for Australia’s win. Although Head was dismissed in the 43rd over with Australia needing just two runs, Glenn Maxwell would walk out to bat and finish the match off with a brace, helping Australia seal a sixth ODI World Cup title.