Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles are set to visit India to take part in the two-plus-two ministerial dialogue on Monday that is likely to focus on further shoring up strategic ties between the two countries, people familiar with the matter said.
Australia’s deputy prime minister, and Wong may watch the Cricket World Cup final between India and Australia in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
According to reports, Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese invited to attend India Vs Australia World Cup final on Sunday and he has deputed Australian Deputy PM Richard Marles to attend the match which coincides with India, Australia 2+2
India will meet Australia in the final.
Several players, including Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, were spotted in the team bus in Ahmedabad. All three of them were instrumental in the team’s victory over New Zealand in the semifinal at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
Unbeaten in the tournament, team India delivered an all-round performance in the semis against New Zealand.
India’s tenacious number three, Virat Kohli, made history by becoming the first person to achieve fifty hundreds in One Day International cricket. India scored 397/4 to put pressure on New Zealand.
Leading India’s efforts with the ball was Shami, who managed to stave off a stubborn New Zealand response spearheaded by Daryl Mitchell’s 134, the right-hander’s second century against India in the competition.
Shami is now the leading wicket-taker in the competition with 24 from six games at an incredible average of 9.13.
India made the final by hammering New Zealand by 70 runs in Mumbai with a red-hot Virat Kohli hitting a record 50th ODI century.
Kohli, who surpassed compatriot Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 tons, leads the tournament batting with 711 runs including three hundreds.
Rohit is the next best Indian batsman with 550 runs and his leadership has been widely praised — former England captain Nasser Hussain called him a “real hero”.
India also boast the tournament’s leading bowler with Mohammed Shami taking 23 wickets in six matches, including 7-57 against the Kiwis on Wednesday.
Despite losing to India and South Africa in their first two matches of the tournament, Australia have bounced back.
They won seven league games on the trot with a hobbling Glenn Maxwell authoring a performance for the ages with his undefeated 201 not out against Afghanistan, rescuing his team from 91-7 and carrying them to their victory target of 292.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa is their top bowler with 22 wickets with pacemen Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who both played in the 2015 World Cup winning side, peaking at the right time.
Starc and Hazlewood reduced South Africa to 24-4 inside 12 overs on Thursday after the Proteas and elected to bat first and their opponents only played catch up from that position.
Starc returned figures of 3-34 and Hazlewood grabbed 2-12 in the victory which set up their second World Cup final against India after 2003 when Australia raced to a 125-run win in Johannesburg.
Sunday’s meeting will be the eighth between the two teams in ODIs in 2023.
*with agency inputs
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Updated: 17 Nov 2023, 04:32 PM IST