Published: Mar 25, 2015, 08:02 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 25, 2015, 11:03 PM (IST)
Australia dominated India in the tri-series ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Australia won all their games against India in that series and also decimated India in the Test series preceding it. As the two sides gear up for the semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Pramod Ananth feels that the past will not matter and it is the performance on the given day that will eventually decide the fate of both teams.
India and Australia are no strangers to each other. They have been playing each other since December 2014 and are well-versed in each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The tri-series was just another tournament, but the same cannot be said about the World Cup. A lot more is at stake at the mega event and Australia cannot take their opponents lightly on the pretext of ruling over them in the earlier games. Read: India vs Australia, ICC World Cup 2015 semi-final Preview
Things have changed since then. India have been nothing short of dominant in this World Cup, while it is Australia who have been a touch scratchy in their games. India’s bowlers were a major concern coming into the tournament, but it is the same bowlers who have bowled the opposition out in all the matches. Openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma did not get India off to a good start in any of the tri-series games, but now have three centuries between them and have got India to a steady start in all games, barring a game or two. Read: Five reasons why India will beat Australia in ICC World Cup 2015 semi-final
India’s middle-order too has clicked with the likes of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, and MS Dhoni getting runs for India when it was most required. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin too has troubled the batsmen with his clever variations. The fast bowling trio of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, and Mohit Sharma have 42 wickets them, which constitute more than 50 percent of the total wickets picked by the team. Read: Five reasons why Australia will beat India in ICC World Cup 2015 semi-final
Unlike India, Australia have lost a game in the World Cup, against New Zealand at Auckland. The match went right down to the wire, with the Kiwis hanging on to a one-wicket win. Australia have been more or less dominant otherwise.
Glenn Maxwell is Australia’s leading run-scorer with 302 runs that includes a century — his first — which came against Sri Lanka at SCG. Aaron Finch and David Warner are the only other players to score a century in the World Cup. If the tri-series was a tournament where Mitchell Starc was emerging out of the shadows of Mitchell Johnson, Starc’s performances in the World Cup have proved that he is the far more potent threat, with 18 wickets at an average of 9.77 — numbers which are nothing short of staggering. Josh Hazlewood too has chipped in with crucial wickets and has proved to be an integral cog in the Australian bowling set-up.  Read: Presence of Swami Army at Sydney for semi-final will give India a chance
James Faulkner had starred against India in their 2013 tour and in the tri-series, but he suffered an injury just ahead of the World Cup and he has not been at his best since. Skipper Michael Clarke did not take part in the tri-series due to a hamstring injury and is due for some big runs. He has not spent as much time as he would have wanted at the crease. Â Read: India vs Australia, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Key Clashes
Australia have already started playing mind games, constantly reminding India of the losses they suffered against them ahead of the World Cup. India-Australia encounters have had heated on-field arguments in the past. Johnson said a while ago that sledging is just part of the game and after what happened between Shane Watson and Wahab Riaz in the previous game he will not hold back in giving a mouthful to the Indian players, if required. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
“Someone’s got to do it and I think I might put my hand up. It’s part of the game and what happened the other day with Shane Watson and Wahab Riaz I thought was exceptional, the way they played the game,†Johnson said, according to PTI. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
The winner of the match will take on New Zealand in the final at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Australia could be over-confident considering their superior record over India in the recent encounters, but India are an energetic side, oozing with confidence at the moment. Both teams being just one step away from the final of the mega event, the team that keeps their nerves will eventually come out on top. Ask New Zealand or South Africa, for that matter; they will tell you about it!
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
