Sharma and Kohli provide the stardust on India’s day of destiny

Two batters are out to steer their country to a third World Cup triumph but Pat Cummins’ Australia stand in their way

Twelve years on from the second of India’s World Cup victories, that dizzying night in Mumbai when MS Dhoni struck the most famous of all his sixes and Sachin Tendulkar was held aloft on the shoulders of teammates, expectation in the country somehow feels even greater.

Certainly, a day out from this year’s final showdown against Australia, the five-time champions who somehow start as the underdogs, a state of delirium had been already reached. A vast crowd of locals had gathered along the Motera road that leads to the gates of the Narendra Modi Stadium, the fans cheering joyfully, drivers honking their horns and the gimlet-eyed police officers and soldiers just about holding their lines.

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