WATCH: Jasprit Bumrah outsmarts Steve Smith with amazing delivery in ODI World Cup 2023 final

The situation is getting tense at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad as the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 final game between India and Australia is turning out to be a thrilling clash. Putting up a total of 240 runs in the first innings, India had a great start with the ball.

Meanwhile, the Men in Blue earned the major breakthrough in the 7th over when India’s premium pacer Jasprit Bumrah sent Steve Smith back to the pavilion. Bumrah so smartly slipped in an off-cutting slower delivery, Smith missed it and the finger went up. Interesting Smith didn’t review that. He did have a chat with Travis Head but walked off. However, the ball tracking showed the impact was outside off.

Watch the video here:

Brilliant start by Indian bowlers

Talking about the match, Australian skipper Pat Cummins set the tone by challenging India to bat first and put runs on the scoreboard. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, known for his explosive starts, once again provided a strong foundation, steering the team to a promising start despite the early loss of Shubman Gill. However, a sensational catch by Travis Head saw Rohit departing for 47 runs, shifting the momentum in Australia’s favour.

The Australian bowlers, led by Cummins, capitalised on the breakthrough, restricting India’s scoring opportunities. Shreyas Iyer fell victim to Cummins for a mere 4 runs, and despite a determined partnership between Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, Australia continued to tighten their grip on the game. Cummins, with his crucial contributions, silenced the stadium by dismissing Kohli for 54 runs, leaving India struggling to maintain momentum.

Facing a challenging bowling attack, the Indian batters found it difficult to rotate the strike, and the boundaries dried up. The Australian pacers utilised reverse-swing effectively on a slow track, making it even more arduous for the Indian team. Despite the challenges, India managed to post a below-par yet respectable total of 240. Chasing the target, Australia lost their 3 wickets inside the powerplay but Marnus Labuschagne and Head steadied the ship and Australia are on 127/3 after 24 overs at the time of writing.