India vs Australia Prediction: Shami to fire hosts to Title

Ok, here we go, this is the big one. The Cricket World Cup Final takes place on Sunday morning (08:30) in Ahmedabad, where hosts India attempt to win the title on home soil against Australia. We've previewed this huge occasion and given you our best betting tips. 

After 47 matches and more than six weeks of action, we finally get to find out who will be the new Cricket World Cup champions for the next four years.

Will it be the hosts, India (2/5), who have gone ten unbeaten and looked imperious on their march to their third title and first since 2011?

Or will it be Australia (19/10), the five-time champs, who have grown steadily into the tournament and have won their last eight straight matches.

The huge and cavernous Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is the host venue and there will be 130,000+ crammed into it, as well as billions around the world watching to see which of these cricketing powerhouses can add to their legacy and pick up the ultimate prize in the sport.

Team news

Unless there are some late, overnight injuries or illnesses, both sides should be unchanged from their semi-final line ups.

Australia: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

India to win - 2/5

At no point in this tournament have India ever seriously looked like dropping points and losing a game. The closest they were pushed was probably both games against New Zealand, yet still managed to win by four wickets in the group stage and 70 runs in the semi-final.

Just when it looks like they might be starting to struggle, one of their superstars changes the game. Whether it be Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or Shreyas Iyas with the bat. Or perhaps Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami with the ball.

Virat and Shami have been the too stand out stars and top the runs and wickets charts respectively. Kohli must have thought, like I did, that he had the player of the match award wrapped up in the semi-final, when strolling to his 50th One Day International hundred. That feat was blown out of the water by the fast swing bowler, as he demolished the Black Caps, with astonishing figures of 7/57.

Australia have had their own feats of brilliance, notably in the form of Glenn Maxwell's ridiculous game-saving 201* against Afghanistan but yet have also looked extremely vulnerable at times and don't appear to quite be playing at the level of the Indians.

With such a well rounded 11, I'm going to take Sharma's men to win the trophy on home soil and send a billion people into rapturous celebrations.

Mohammed Shami top IND wicket taker - 5/2

What a bowler Mohammed Shami has developed into. What looks like an innocuous action and manageable pace is actually deadly accurate and he can move the ball both ways in the air and off the seam.

His seam position in particular is gorgeous to see, bolt upright and he can make the ball talk on the most docile of wickets. It's frankly staggering to believe he wasn't in the original India 11 and only got into the side due to an injury to Hardik Pandya.

The 33-year-old has 23 wickets in six matches at a pretty daft average of 9.13. He can be vital again in breaking down the Australian top order.