IND vs AUS, World Cup 2023 Final: Is Toss Crucial In The Title Clash? Rohit & Cummins Toss Record In Tournament

In a clash of champions, unbeaten hosts and two-time champions India face record five-time champions Australia in the ICC World Cup 2023 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (November 19).

Most feel the toss will be crucial and have been proved right so far in the tournament mainly due to the dew factor or slowness of tracks, but the two skippers - India captain Rohit Sharma and Australia captain Pat Cummins have had differing views about the toss being an important factor.

The title clash is set to be staged on the same wicket that was used for the India vs Pakistan match last month. On that occasion, the pitch seemed slow as the game progressed, but got better under lights.

Is toss crucial in IND vs AUS World Cup 2023 final?

Rohit, who said that the wicket now has a little grass on it now, feels dew may be a factor, but one can't be sure of it despite the weather conditions changing from the last month.

"In terms of the conditions changing, yes, the temperature has dropped a little bit. I don't know how much of a dew factor there will be because against Pakistan in that game, when we trained before the game, there was a lot of dew but there was no dew during the game, Rohit said at the press conference.

"And even a few days back at Wankhede, we were training, there was a lot of dew on the game day there wasn't much, so that's why I keep saying the toss is not going to be a factor."

Meanwhile, Cummins, who acknowledged conditions will favour the home side, said at the end of the day, it will be the same pitch for both the teams and his team are ready for any kind of challenge.

"It's the same for both teams. No doubt playing on your wicket in your own country has some advantages, similar to wickets that you've been playing your whole life. But we've played a lot of cricket over here," Cummins said at the press conference.

"I think, of all the venues, perhaps this venue - the toss isn't as important as, say, a Mumbai Wankhede Stadium or other venues. So, we'll be ready in terms of anything they'll throw at us. Yeah, we'll wait and see, but we'll make sure we have some plans."

What has happened in previous ODI World Cup finals?

In the 12 World Cup finals so far, the team that has won the toss has won the match only four times with the opposition winning eight times. Among the 12 finals, the captain has opted to field first five times (1 win) and bat first seven times (3 wins).

So, toss has not mattered much in most cases, but the general feeling is that batting first and adding runs on the board is a sensible decision in knock out stages. Here is a look at the ODI World Cup final toss and match result:

ODI World Cup Finals Toss Result & Match Result

Edition	Toss Winner	Opted To	Match Winner
1975	Australia	Field	West Indies
1979	England	Field	West Indies
1983	West Indies	Field	India
1987	Australia	Bat	Australia
1992	Pakistan	Bat	Pakistan
1996	Sri Lanka	Field	Sri Lanka
1999	Pakistan	Bat	Australia
2003	India	Field	Australia
2007	Australia	Bat	Australia
2011	Sri Lanka	Bat	India
2015	New Zealand	Bat	Australia
2019	New Zealand	Bat	England

Now, let's take a look at how the toss has had an affect on matches at the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023, and the record of the two captains so far in the show-piece tournament.

Rohit Sharma Toss Record in World Cup 2023

Rohit has won 5 and lost 5 tosses each so far, but his team has remained perfect, having won 10 in a row and the team also share 5 wins each when batting first and chasing so far in the tournament. Here is a look at his toss results:

Rohit Sharma World Cup 2023 Toss & Match Results

Match No.	Opponent	Toss Result	Batted/Fielded	Match Result
1	Australia	Lost	Fielded	Won
2	Afghanistan	Lost	Fielded	Won
3	Pakistan	Won	Fielded	Won
4	Bangladesh	Lost	Fielded	Won
5	New Zealand	Won	Fielded	Won
6	England	Lost	Batted	Won
7	Sri Lanka	Lost	Batted	Won
8	South Africa	Won	Batted	Won
9	Netherlands	Won	Batted	Won
Semi-Final	New Zealand	Won	Batted	Won

Pat Cummuns Toss Record in World Cup 2023

Cummins has a record of 4-6 when it comes to toss in the tournament, but has won 8 games in a row since the opening two defeats. Like India, they have an even share of wins when batting first and chasing so far. Here is a look at Australia's toss results:

Pat Cummins World Cup 2023 Toss & Match Results

Match No.	Opponent	Toss Result	Batted/Fielded	Match Result
1	India	Won	Batted	Lost
2	South Africa	Won	Fielded	Lost
3	Sri Lanka	Lost	Fielded	Won
4	Pakistan	Lost	Batted	Won
5	Netherlands	Won	Batted	Won
6	New Zealand	Lost	Batted	Won
7	England	Lost	Batted	Won
8	Afghanistan	Lost	Fielded	Won
9	Bangladesh	Won	Fielded	Won
Semi-Final	South Africa	Lost	Fielded	Won

Narendra Modi Stadium ODI Toss Record & Results

At the Narendra Modi Stadium, teams winning the toss have gone on to win 17 times in 30 ODIs so far with 13 matches ending in favour of the team that lost the toss. It's all square at 15 in terms of matches won when batting first and chasing at this venue.

In the ICC World Cup 2023, teams winning the toss have won two times and teams on the wrong end of the toss have won two times with the chasing side winning 3 times against the team batting first that has won once.