Quarter-final Preview: Interesting sub-plots make for exciting encounter

By Suneer Chowdhary

 

India have never beaten Australia in a World Cup game since 1987, and all factors considered, this could be their best chance of overturning the record.

By Suneer Chowdhary

 

Ahmedabad: Mar 23, 2011

 

When a number one ranked side in the world takes on the second-ranked team in a knock-out game in the World Cup, it would naturally not augur well that it is not the final. Not even the semi-final. However, a look at the manner in which the two have played in the tournament and it will not take an MIT-based techie to conclude that they have hardly played like the top two in the world.

 

The rankings are obviously skewed and take into account the teams’ play in the last couple of years. That, conversely, is also a stark reminder of the fact that despite all that has gone around in the tournament, the two have been doing well in the ODIs in recent times. This is why, it is only fair to conclude that an India-Australia encounter will rob the tournament of one of the better teams in ODI cricket this early in the competition.

 

It is a no-brainer that the two sides are evenly balanced. And the reasons extend to beyond the playing arena. India have been under the pressure from the fans and the media for their middle-order collapses, poor bowling and captaincy which has been described as unimaginative. Half of the Australian team has, on the other hand, had to defend their captain Ricky Ponting, who, it has been rumoured in the Australian media, is in his “last week as captain”.

 

Clearly, it is not the best of situations leading up to a quarter-final of a World Cup tournament.

 

That said, it spices up the plot further given that the winner of this game could play Pakistan in the semi-final. It is a mouth-watering prospect in the offing and although none of the teams will be thinking as far ahead, the fans would have already begun salivating. On the field, there are chinks that either side need to fill up. Or at least prevent from cracking up further. If one were to discount the first game of the tournament that India played, there has been a clutter of wickets that fell in each of the other games for them.

 

Australia would have noted this, but the coach Tim Nielsen was categorical in saying that the Aussies can barely afford to allow the top three to get away again and hope for a collapse later, again. Australia’s off-field issues stem from the form of their captain. Ponting, whose runs seem to have dried up quicker than the moisture on the Chennai track, will be up against his old foe in Harbhajan Singh. Except that on this occasion, there will be another off-spinner in R Ashwin who could take over as his scourge.

 

There are others in the side who will need some attending, however. Shane Watson’s form has never dipped since the 2009 edition of the Ashes, Brad Haddin has got the side to reasonable starts while Michael Clarke is a refurbished and a resurgent self of what he was in the Ashes last year.

 

The bowling line-ups will bear obvious contrasting looks. In the absence of spinners who can buy a couple of wickets, Australia’s reliance on pace will be matched only by India’s dependence on Zaheer Khan and one of the spinners who does well on the day. Mitchell Johnson has made a grandiose Glen McGrath-like statement on how he would love to tickle the Sehwag ribs, not a surprise given his record against the batsman.

 

That said, his own habit of breaking down at crucial junctures in his career could well be exploited by the vaunted Indian batsmen. How they handle the bolts from Shaun Tait and that from Brett Lee will be an interesting sub-plot within the battle. India have never beaten Australia in a World Cup game since 1987, and all factors considered, this could be their best chance of overturning the record.

 

India (Probable): Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c&wk), Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel

 

Australia (Probable): Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Ricky Ponting(c), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Jason Krejza, Shaun Tait

 

Umpires: Marais Erasmus (South Africa) and Ian Gould (England)

 

Time: 2.30 pm local (09.00 GMT)

 

(Suneer is a Mumbai-based cricket writer and can be contacted at suneerchowdhary@gmail.com and Tweets here: @suneerchowdhary)

 

Pictures © Getty Images

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