Published: Mar 25, 2015, 05:21 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 25, 2015, 05:23 PM (IST)
India will face Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final match which is likely to draw a bigger crowd than India’s opening encounter against Pakistan. Despite being a strong team and having the home advantage, Sudatta Mukherjee lists down five reasons why India are likely to beat Australia tomorrow at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Virat Kohli’s recent good form at Sydney and against Australia: The Indian vice-captain is probably having the best days of his life. A big match player, Kohli has done considerably well in Australia against the home side. One does not need to be reminded of his four hundreds and 692 runs in the Test series. The 147 and 46 in the fourth Test at Sydney will surely motivate Kohli to open up in the semi-final on Thursday. Although, Kohli has not performed big after the hundred against Pakistan, he has had good starts in most matches. Kohli moreover has a good average of 51.66 against Australia. Read: India was confident of excelling at the ICC World Cup 2015: Virat Kohli
Mohammed Shami’s habit of taking regular wickets: The25-year-old has been a wicket-taking force in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. After Trent Boult and Mitchell Starc, Shami is the third on the list of most wicket  takers in the World Cup so far. Shami also has a better average than Boult, who tops the list. Compared to Starc, Shami has bowled more maiden overs in the World Cup so far. The bowler had a terrific performance in the Test match at Sydney. India vs Australia ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final: What the pitch could be like?
Ravichandran Ashwin’s streak of good spells: Apart from the match against Zimbabwe, Ravichandran Ashwin has had a streak of good spells. Ashwin might not have been taking wickets like Shami, but just the way Daniel Vettori has been influential for New Zealand in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Ashwin has been too. He has maintained an economy rate around 4.29 and a good strike-rate of 33.5. Ashwin also had a good run in the fourth Test at Sydney. He picked up four wickets in the second innings of the match and scored yet another half-century. Top 10 bowlers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
MS Dhoni’s tactics against Australia and in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Let us accept the truth that MS Dhoni has been exceptional when it comes to ICC tournaments. Be it ICC World T20 2007, ICC World Cup 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy 2013. Coming into the World Cup, despite being considered as one of the favourites, India’s ODI performances were not admirable. However, the way Dhoni has guided the team and played his cards, India have a huge chance of defeating Australia on Thursday. India vs Australia, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Semi-Final 2 Preview: Teams gear up for potentially spicy clash
Presence of Indian fans at SCG: Indian fans have always thronged the stadiums in huge numbers, showing their support for the team in each and every match. Had it been the match against South Africa or against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), fans have a real power behind the success of the team. It is a known fact that playing at home gives the team an upper-hand and the Swami Army will be all excited to take over Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday and paint it blue, giving India a feeling of being at home. READ:Â Indian support is wonderful, says Clarke
(Sudatta Mukherjee is a reporter with CricketCountry. Other than writing on cricket, she spends penning random thoughts on her blog. When she is not writing, you will catch her at a movie theatre or watching some English television show on her laptop. Her Twitter handle is @blackrosegal)
