Published: Mar 26, 2015, 05:45 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 26, 2015, 05:28 AM (IST)
India and Australia clash a Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final. It is billed as one of the biggest games in the tournament. Considering what is at stake and the rivalry between two sides, the game can be one of the most interesting contests in this World Cup. Nishad Pai Vaidya picks four factors of the match.
1. Short bowling: Steven Smith, the Australian batsman, has warned the Indians against using the short ball as he said that they may end up playing into the hosts’ hands. The talk mainly stems from the Wahab Riaz barrage in the quarter-final, which had the Australians in some trouble. Shane Watson weathered the storm, rode his luck and managed to help Australia win. The Indian seamers used the short ball well in the game against the West Indies in Perth and also managed a few against Bangladesh. Read: India vs Australia, ICC World Cup 2015 semi-final Preview
However, they would know that Australia is a different kettle of fish. On the other hand, India expect some short stuff themselves. Suresh Raina faced tennis balls in the nets in the lead-up to the game. MS Dhoni served them short with a tennis racquet.
2. Sledging: Both teams have been quite vocal about this. Rohit Sharma cautioned against crossing the line; Michael Clarke said it should be about the game whereas Mitchell Johnson is ready to have a go. Since India landed in Australia late last year, there have been many verbal volleys exchanged between the two sides. With a place in the final at stake, there could be more intense contests on offer, which will only spice things up. Read: India vs Australia, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Key Clashes
3. Crowd support: The word in Sydney is that 70 percent of the crowd present at the SCG would be Indian. This is quite a number for an away game. Clarke conceded that it was a no-brainer that his fans would be outnumbered. The atmosphere may be akin to any game in India. It would be interesting to see how Australia adjust to that. With most of their players having the experience of playing in India especially the Indian Premier League (IPL), they may be able to deal with it very well. Read: Presence of Swami Army at Sydney for semi-final will give India a chance
4. The nature of the pitch: The Sydney pitch is relatively slow when compared to some of the other Australian surfaces. The Indian spinners may feel a little encouraged by the performance of the South Africans last week. However, that performance wasn’t about the surface but the poor batting performance by Sri Lanka. From a distance, the pitch looked good for batting and one can expect a very big score. Read: Five reasons why India will beat Australia in ICC World Cup 2015 semi-final
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)
