Australia’s cricket captain, Pat Cummins, has called on his team to “embrace” the challenge of facing a passionate home crowd in the upcoming World Cup final against India. The final, set to take place in Ahmedabad on Sunday, is expected to draw a capacity crowd of around 130,000 cheering for the hosts.
Speaking at a pre-match news conference on Saturday, Cummins acknowledged the one-sided nature of the crowd support, stating, “I think you’ve got to embrace it, the crowd’s obviously going to be very one-sided.” He emphasized the satisfaction of silencing a home crowd as an opposition player, saying, “There’s nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent, and that’s the aim for us tomorrow.”
Cummins, the 30-year-old fast bowler, urged his team to be up for the challenge and enjoy every aspect of the final. Despite the overwhelming support for India, he highlighted the familiarity of playing in India and suggested different players might handle the crowd differently, citing David Warner’s crowd-pleasing antics.
Australia, having experienced a remarkable 2023, aims to cap off the year with a World Cup victory. Cummins praised the team’s performance throughout the year, which included a Test series in India, a World Test Championship triumph in England, and the retention of the Ashes.
Victory in the World Cup final would be the perfect culmination of an incredible year for Australia, with Cummins stating, “To put ourselves in this position, it (winning the World Cup) would just top off an incredible year.”
