The former India bowling coach, Venkatesh Prasad, issued a cautionary note, expressing concern that Indian batters could face a formidable challenge early in their innings if Mitchell Starc, the Australian left-arm paceman, manages to secure early breakthroughs with the new ball in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19.
Reflecting on Australia’s pace attack, particularly Starc and Hazlewood, Prasad highlighted the threat they pose, emphasizing Starc’s left-arm seaming abilities and Hazlewood’s precise Test match lines and lengths, coupled with bounce due to his height. Acknowledging Pat Cummins’ experience and variation, Prasad underscored the potential challenge for the Indian batting lineup if Starc makes early inroads in the initial 10 overs.
“They have a left-arm seamer in Starc. If he gets a couple of wickets early, in the first 10 overs, it’s going to be really challenging for the Indian batting lineup,” Prasad said in a interview with News18.
In addition, Prasad pointed out the importance of Adam Zampa stepping up his game, noting that Zampa needs to be more effective. Citing the semi-final against South Africa, Prasad expressed that Zampa struggled to find the right areas and emphasized that, unlike Shane Warne, Zampa lacks the ability to turn the ball sharply from middle and leg to the off-stump.
