INDIA-AUSTRALIA CLASSIC EXPECTED IN CHEPAUK COULD FIRE UP ODI WORLD CUP!

It’s time to bid goodbye to empty stands witnessed in the first couple of days of the World Cup as India take on Australia in Chennai in what is bound to be a packed Chepauk stadium. For most, this is the ‘real’ start of the World Cup and the clash on Sunday is likely to provide the ‘big bang’ that the competition so badly needs given the dwindling interest in the 50 over format of late. The two teams recently locked horns in an ODI series in the build-up to the World Cup and India won easily with a 2-1 margin. But in World Cups, the Aussie side is a different beast! They are currently 5-time ODI World Champs and enter the tournament as one of the favourites alongside India.

It is also a good time for Team India to unburden themselves of the pressure that they are carrying as they finally get gametime under their belt after a few days. After lifting the Asia Cup and winning the Aussie series, they have been travelling across the country only to see their warm up matches being rained off.

The venue, Chennai, has seen a bit of rain of late. While there has been some relief from heat, there are concerns about the weather on the day of the match. But some feel it won’t disturb the game if there are any showers. The Chepauk stadium also holds a special history in the games played between these two sides. The pitch always assists spin and both teams might prefer to add a spinner to their lineup. In fact, it is Ashwin’s home ground and he may get a precedence in the playing 11 over Shardul Thakur.

India played the Aussies here in March when Australia batted first. They were bowled out for 269, with India’s three spinners taking 5 for 147 in 28 overs. India’s chase never truly took shape as the Australian spinners picked up 6 for 86 in 20 overs. The rest of the team for India will largely stay the same with just one doubt. Shubman Gill has been down with dengue but coach Rahul Dravid told the media that he has not been ruled out yet and the final decision will be taken as late as possible!

Luckily, all Indian batters are in good form and if Shubman is unavailable then Ishan Kishan could open the innings. Only problem is that the Indian lineup then becomes too right-handed dominant. Till Jadeja at number 7, all the baters after Kishan at the top are right handers. This plays into the hands of the Aussies if the deck starts turning and Adam Zampa with his wrist spin can be lethal.

The other chinks in the armour are India’s average fielding and long tail. Over the last many matches, plenty of catches were dropped and that can wreak havoc if fielding standards don’t improve urgently. One look at other teams and anybody can notice the big gap in ground fielding of the Indians and players from teams like Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand. On small Indian grounds, it’s even more important to cut angles and throw well!

Though the exceptional batting and bowling has put a veil on India’s lower order woes, they have been glaring when exposed. This has been India’s nemesis even in previous World Cups. Batting averages of Bumrah, Shami, Siraj and Kuldeep are so bad that the team can’t rely on them to knock off 30 runs together in a close chase. This warrants extra responsibility from the top and grit in the middle order.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Siddhaarth Mahan The writer is a specialist on Sports and Cinema who works as an actor in the Hindi film industry