MUMBAI, India – The World Cup cricket final pits India vs. Sri Lanka and features the best batsman against the most prolific bowler.
Sachin Tendulkar is on home ground in India, bidding for his first title in six trips to the World Cup. He’ll take on Muttiah Muralitharan, who is aiming to win it again in his last international match.
Tendulkar will be under enormous pressure, with India desperate to end a 28-year wait for its second World Cup title and become the first country to win it on home soil. The 37-year-old player made his debut at Wankhede Stadium — the venue for the final on Saturday — in 1998 and has been in the international arena for two decades.
Muralitharan is hobbled by nagging injuries. He’ll draw on his experience of winning the World Cup at age 23 when Sri Lanka stunned the cricket establishment with a seven-wicket over the Australians at Lahore in 1996.
In the first all-Asian final, the teams match up well.
One thing in India’s favor has been its tougher run to the final, following the must-win group match against the West Indies with a big quarterfinal win over three-time defending champion Australia. It then ousted Pakistan in a
Read More from the Article Source: Full Article
