Indian captain Rohit Sharma said that the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad would be "the biggest day of their lives" but it was important for the players to not let the emotions take over.
"It's a huge occasion, without doubt. You dream of this day, and you work hard for it. Tomorrow is such a day, but as professional athletes, we have to put emotions aside."
"This is the biggest day of our lives. You have to be calm and take good decisions," Sharma said on the eve of the match on Saturday.
Talking about handling the pressure of playing such as big match, the 36-year-old said that players were well-equipped to handle the pressure of the occasion and the presence of two past World Cup winners-Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin-would help the team.
"Whenever we play such a tournament, the current form of players is more important than playing World Cup finals in the past. We have two players from 2011 as well who have been part of the World Cup final. We know how to handle pressure. We want to continue the way we have played so far," Sharma said.
The batter also credited the role played by head coach Rahul Dravid in the team's run to the finals.
"Rahul Dravid's role has been absolutely massive, especially in terms of giving role clarity to players. It's quite contrasting in how he played his cricket and how I play my cricket and to agree on certain things, to give us that liberty, that says a lot about him. What he has done for Indian cricket is massive and he also wants to be part of this occasion. Let's do it for him!" he said.
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