Union Minister Anurag Thakur hopeful of India "creating history" in World Cup final
Nov 19, 2023
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], November 19 : Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur wished for the success of the Indian team and is hopeful that the Men in Blue will create history by defeating Australia in the World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Anurag Thakur arrived at Ahmedabad Airport on Sunday to witness the highly anticipated clash between two cricketing giants.
"All eyes are on Team India; the best wishes of 140 crore Indians are with Team India, and I have full hope that India will perform well and will create history. The environment on the team has been good. India has registered exceptional victories under Rohit's captaincy; Virat and Shami's performances have been remarkable," Anurag told ANI.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah arrived at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad ahead of the final.
Former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Sanjay Manjrekar arrived in Ahmedabad to support the Men in Blue.
India stormed into the final with a comprehensive 70-run victory over New Zealand in the first semi-final at the Wankhede on Wednesday.
Skipper Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell put up a valiant 181-run stand to push the Kiwis towards the record target of 399.
But Mohammed Shami's spell left the Blackcaps bamboozled, as he ended the game with a figure of 7/57.
On the other hand, Australia lost their first two games in the league phase but recovered thereafter to reach the summit clash.
They went on to win eight consecutive games which also included hard fought victory against Afghanistan in the group stage and South Africa in the semi-final.
