Published: Feb 07, 2015, 11:20 AM (IST)
Edited: Feb 07, 2015, 11:20 AM (IST)
Defending champions India will be under pressure when they take on an in-form Australian side in their own backyard — at the Adelaide Oval — in the first of the two warm-up matches of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 on Sunday. India’s second warm-up match before the start of the tournament will be against Afghanistan on February 13. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
Ironically, when India hosted the ICC World Cup 2011 in their backyard, they played a warm-up game against Australia and defeated them comfortably, setting the tone for the games to come. Back then India were a settled unit with many big names in their ranks, but this time around, the momentum is in Australia’s favour — not because they are playing at home but also due to the fact that they have been quite successful of late.
For India, it will be more about getting things right on the field rather than finding a combination that could win matches for them. In the triangular series which ended last week, India experimented in almost all departments but failed to win any single match. India failed to win any match on the tour of Australia and if the results have anything to do with the team’s confidence in the build-up to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, it is certainly not a situation India would want them to be in. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
Some of the key Indian players such as Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja have been out of action. These four cricketers were slated for a fitness test on February 7, but the outcome of that is not yet known. Mohit Sharma and Dhawal Kulkarni have been asked to stay with the team, in case Ishant and Bhuvneshwar fail to get fit in time for the tournament.
The bowling department is India’s weakest link and if they fail to put the failures and disappointments behind them of the recent past, it will be a humongous task for the Indians to make a mark heading into the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. The scores of 153 and 200 (against England in the triangular series) proved that India’s chances of winning go down drastically if the batsmen have one bad game, and this would certainly be a worrying factor for MS Dhoni and company.
Australia, on the other hand, may be lacking the services of their regular captain Michael Clarke but they have done exceptionally well. Starting with their commanding wins over Pakistan in the One-Day International (ODI) series in the UAE in mid last year and following it up with a 4-1 thrashing of South Africa — who are among the red-hot favourites for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 — Australia have shown tremendous improvement.
The co-hosts of the ICC World Cup 2015 have a settled unit with all their key players seemingly in-form. David Warner and Aaron Finch form a good opening stand, and the presence of the likes of Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell and others ensure that Australia have good flow of batsmen coming in. The fitness and availability of James Faulkner would be a major concern, as he bats way down in the order at No. 8 — a fact that also highlights Australia’s depth in batting.
Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc will be the two main bowlers for Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup. Both Johnson and Starc had good outings in the triangular series and their performances and form would have certainly chuffed up the Australians in the lead up to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
It doesn’t get any tougher for Dhoni who had to miss the birth of his first child due to ‘national duties’, as being the defending champions, there will be lot of hopes around this Indian side to succeed once again. Almost all odds are stacked against Dhoni and his men, and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will be no less than a test of character for them.
Squads:
Australia: Michael Clarke (c), George Bailey, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin (wk), Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson.
India: MS Dhoni (c &wk), Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Akshar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Stuart Binny, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma.
Time: 09:00 IST | 14:00 local
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
(Devarchit Varma is a reporter with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)
