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India have been so ahead of the pack until now that, after playing the perfect innings of 397 for four against New Zealand in the first semi-final, no team would have been beaten them. Or could a Rest of the World XI have chased that target down?
Quinton de Kock has scored the most centuries in this World Cup (four in nine games, even more than Virat Kohli) so he would have to open and keep wicket. His partner? David Warner or Rachin Ravindra, who have been the seventh and third highest run-scorers overall (as opening batsmen should be in limited-overs tournaments), with the nod in favour of Ravindra because he can bowl a few left-armers.
Mitchell Marsh is decidedly not the best in manoeuvring spinners around but he is as strong as Indian boundaries are short. In spite of a flight home mid-tournament, he has hit 426 runs off 389 balls at 60.
Daryl Mitchell made the No 4 position his own with his semi-final century against India. In November 2019 he made his Test debut as a medium-paced all-rounder, and looked exactly like one, but in four years since he has become one of the very best red and white-ball batsmen, averaging 57 in Tests. Some work ethic, some progress.
No 5 can only be Glenn Maxwell, but India would never be so naive as Afghanistan were when he scored his miraculous, match-winning 201. If a batsman is injured, take the ball away from him and make him use his feet. The Afghanistan pacers and spinners kept angling it into his zone.
Is Heinrich Klaasen the strongest of all batsmen? He can certainly power spinners straight, deep in the crease off the back foot, like nobody has done before.
It would be comforting for England supporters to have accommodated Ben Stokes as a pace-bowling all-rounder at No 7, only he was unable to bowl, and, as England crumbled, looked ever more like Van Gogh, after one of his less happy days in the asylum. The new Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai has many of the qualities of the young Stokes.
Marco Jansen, though he had a bad game for South Africa against India, can still bowl magic balls of left-arm pace that swing late as well as hit them a long way.
A third Mitchell makes this team, Santner of New Zealand, who was the most economical bowler on either side in the first semi-final. A bowling action that is far from classical and grooved makes him hard to line up.
Adam Zampa has been the leg-spinner of this tournament, ahead of Rashid Khan perhaps surprisingly, and of Adil Rashid, gamely though he bowled for the most under-performing side.
Can England have one representative? If so, Reece Topley, to take the new ball with Jansen and swing it from a similar height. If Topley is disqualified, for having played only three games, then another bowler of the same size and stature, Shaheen Afridi of Pakistan, although he did not swing the new white ball as much as he used to do.
India’s bowling has only one weakish link on Indian pitches, Mohammad Siraj, who may be enthusiastic but does not have the skills of Jasprit Bumrah or Mohammed Shami. Siraj’s tactic of bowling the old ball from round the wicket was exposed by Mitchell and Glenn Phillips.
Bumrah and Shami however make as fine as any red or white-ball pair going. Shami must have a very similar trajectory, pace and outswinger to Fred Trueman, did we but have the data about Fred, and supposing he would allow himself to be measured.
Ravindra Jadeja, on his own pitches, and Kuldip Nayar, that rarity a left-arm wrist-spinner, make the finest pair of spinners in this tournament. Or will India insist on a very used pitch for the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, and select Ravichandran Ashwin instead of Siraj, and make it the finest trio?
An excellent team. Yet India, after winning the toss and batting first, then bowling under the floodlights, would still have to be favourites.
Not even a World XI would beat India on this form
Unbeaten in the World Cup and one victory from reclaiming the trophy, even a theoretical all-star team might struggle against the hosts