Will India do a New Zealand on AustraliaIJ Will Mitchell Starc gobble up the Indian battersIJ Will Ashwin be the silent serpent that stung the hostsIJ Or, will the SCG pitch do the Aussies inIJ It is palpable, the animation here, as also is the fear among anyone talking cricket. After all, the second semi-final at Sydney on Thursday will be the biggest game, the toughest test, the survival battle for either team — for Aussies as they tackle their nerves around the guile in the Indian pack, and the Indians, as they try hard to work around their limitations when it comes to playing the yellow brigade in their backyard.
A day after the cracker at Auckland which had the Kiwis bundling out an inconsolable Proteas to enter the Final amazingly unbeaten in this World Cup, the only other unbeaten team in the tournament — India — will have to, as Dhoni says, “Execute the plan and work as a unit” to oust the Australians, in their second consecutive title hunt.
The makeover of Team India has still not ceased to amaze everyone and Michael Clarke may be feeling the pinch of this unsettling Indian reputation when he walks into the middle at Sydney on Thursday after being stymied by New Zealand and needled by Pakistan in their journey to the semis. India, on the other hand, as Rohit Sharma put it on match eve, “knows how to win big matches and is enjoying each other’s successes, playing as a unit.”
Though from the outside, the Australian hurdle looks steep, what with their unending power hitters and searing pacers, experts say, if Dhoni wins the toss, puts up a decent total (which is 300 plus nowadays) on board and then unleashes the spin duo alongside precision pacers into play, the hosts will have to work very hard for victory.
Perhaps, that’s why Shane Warne was at the Aussie nets bowling to them on Wednesday even though Clarke said, it would be a good contest for which they have studied Team India thoroughly. It remains to be seen, however, how Clarke works out the 30,000 plus Indian fans who will be the extended Indian team putting pressure from the outside today. Yes, SCG is all set to bleed blue and also fight the blues, if Team India gets into a corner.