One held the World Cup trophy as the captain of Australia the last time they had won it in 2015, while the other had led his team to the World Cup final in 2003 with eight straight wins. Michael Clarke and Sourav Ganguly talk with Boria Majumdar ahead of the mega final. Excerpts:
On favorites to win the final
Clarke: India have been the best team this World Cup by a distance, but the final is a different beast. Everything about a big World Cup final is different. Your nine wins in the group stage will not matter. Your win against Australia will not matter. Both teams will start fresh and it is a one-off game. That’s how a final always is. Just one game. Hundred percent India are the favorites, but you just never know in a World Cup final
Ganguly: India have played some fantastic cricket in the tournament so far, and if they continue to play the same way, it is very difficult to stop them. To win games in the way they have, that shows the quality of the team. Australia, on the other hand, is a side that knows how to win. They have the nerve to play a big final. And a final is a very different game compared to anything else. In every sense, this is the best possible World Cup final one could have hoped for
On allegations that India are taking unfair advantage by curating pitches of their choice
Clarke: It’s childish to say such things. India have played in nine different venues, in different pitches, and played some fantastic cricket. You should congratulate, clap, applaud, celebrate and complement them and not talk rubbish.
Ganguly: Pitches don’t win you games. Both teams play on the same pitch for 100 overs, and in the semifinal, 730 runs (724) were scored with the fast bowlers picking the majority of the wickets for India. It is time to accept India has played fantastic cricket.
On Rohit Sharma’s impact on India’s performance
Ganguly: Rohit has done brilliantly. The way he has batted at the top of the order has been exceptional. He has set things up for the batsmen to follow. Ahead of the World Cup, I had said he would be India’s go-to man. In 2019, he scored five hundreds. He is a player for the big stage, and as captain, he has proved it in this tournament.
Clarke: It has been a complete team/squad performance so far for India. Not just Rohit but every player has played their part, which tells me Rohit is getting the best out of his team. That’s what leadership is all about. He has been excellent. Rohit is my opener for the best World Cup XI and is one of the best to have played 50-over cricket.
On handling the pressure in the World Cup final
Clarke: Honestly, I just loved every second of it. You can feel the support from your fans. When we walked out at the MCG, the vibe was different. It will be the same for Rohit in Ahmedabad. And you need to embrace it. Not every day will you get to embrace an occasion like this. Perhaps never again. So, enjoy the moment and soak it in.
Ganguly: Ahead of big games, I used to get into the mindset that it is still the red ball or the white ball you are up against and prepared myself like that. You can’t let the occasion get to you because that’s when you tend to lose focus. You know it’s not just another game. But then you prepare yourself that way. That’s how you manage pressure. You won’t win all finals. No team will. So you need to break things down. Don’t think about the outcome at the start of the final. It is much like batting. When you go into bat don’t think of the 100. Get to 50, 60, 70, and then when you get to 90 that’s when you think of the 100. For the final, it is the same. First play well and then think of the result.
On Rohit’s aggressive approach to batting
Clarke: That’s where Rohit has been brilliant. He has always placed the team ahead of his individual interests as a batter. Some of the calls he has taken at the toss, for example, may not have favored him as an opener but favored India as a team. He is playing high-risk cricket and to be able to do that is fantastic. Against New Zealand, he took just two balls to assess the pitch. Two balls, not two overs, and that’s just exceptional.
Ganguly: It is a team sport, and all you need to do is stand up for the team. Even if you score less, but that helps your team, your job is done. Rohit has selflessly done that time and again. And that’s what leadership is all about.
On Virat Kohli playing the perfect anchor
Ganguly: He has been brilliant for India. To score 50 hundreds is unimaginable. And he is just 35. He still has a few years of cricket left, so no one really knows how many hundreds he will end up with. It is a phenomenal achievement.
Clarke: He is just an amazing player. The best we have seen. Just from his hunger, you know he is a very special cricketer. In 2011, Virat carried Sachin on his shoulders after India won the World Cup. All of India and perhaps the cricket world will want to see Virat being carried on the shoulder of his teammates in Ahmedabad. I hope he does get this respect for it will be a very fitting finale.
