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- Virat Kohli and Marnus Labuschagne were locked in an intense glare
- The pair are fighting hard to win the Cricket World Cup for their country
Marnus Labuschagne and Virat Kohli engaged in one of the sport’s most intense staredowns in the heat of their Cricket World Cup final clash.
The cricket superstars emulated the world’s best boxers by refusing to take their eyes off at the end of an over as Australia chased India’s first-innings score of 240 runs to win the tournament in Ahmedabad.
Kohli, a feisty character on the field for his country, tried to intimidate the wayward Labuschagne as he and Travis Head steadied the ship for Australia after taking a trio of early wickets for the tournament hosts.
Labuschagne refused to be fazed by the Indian hero and followed him all the way across the crease as the other players returned to their positions.
Virat Kohli (left) and Marnus Labuschagne (right) were locked in an intense gaze
Kohli tried to intimidate Labuschagne early on in the change of ending
Kohli has been in sensational form with the bat for India this tournament, with his efforts helping his side reach the final with a perfect record of 10 wins from 10 matches.
However, he was unable to score big in Ahmedabad as he played on his own stumps off Pat Cummins’ bowling and departed for 54 runs.
Cummins revealed how his side planned to silence the 130,000-strong crowd in Ahmedabad, keeping the crowd silent for much of the first innings after an initial blitz from Rohit Sharma.
But the opener was greedy after smashing Glenn Maxwell’s two boundaries and mistimed his next shot, sending the ball high into the air. Travis Head was on hand to catch excellently.