Men in Blue have a chance to avenge ODI World Cup final defeat vs Australia
ST LUCIA: The small island, with the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, is absolutely buzzing. For the last couple of days –cricket tourists –mostly Indians from the US and Canada –have been trooping in for an extended weekend, and once the Saturday night theatre happened in St Vincent, the excitement has gone up manifold.
Australia’s defeat to Afghanistan has suddenly opened up the possibility for Indian fans here and those around the world to finally get their redemption. The Indian cricket community would never forget this particular loss that they suffered to Australia during last year’s ODI World Cup; now it is payback time for them. If India win against Australia on Monday, they will not only cement their place in the semis but also give Australia an early flight back home provided that Afghanistan beat Bangladesh later on Monday.
The Indian team arrived late Saturday evening and skipped practice Sunday due to fatigue from travel and extreme heat conditions synonymous with this part of the world. They will be licking their lips as well!
On current form, there is no reason why Australia should not lose to India which will make India’s path little bit easier forward as well. Besides India, no other country possesses so many game changers than Australians do who can tear apart any opposition during their best days. Rohit Sharma’s boys could just continue playing like they are at present because if that happens it means by end of it all, we are lifting this trophy.
Different from most venues across Caribbean –the Darren Sammy International Stadium– where games have taken place, scores have varied between 180-220 except one recently involving South Africa versus England which Proteas clinched after posting a mere 163 runs. Normally at this ground there is some carry allowing batsmen some respite like when Aussies got strung up by Afghanistan bowlers on the super slow St Vincent track.
Australia, however, decided to sit out Mitchell Starc and field left-arm spin of Ashton Agar in their XI during Saturday’s clash. But even though Agar was quite economical (0/17), it was apparent that there would be a missing element yet Starc’s exceptional ability to rip through any opposition batsman during Powerplay stages could provide just the right balance.
Even if spinners have done better than pacers (9.4 runs per over), with an average economy rate of 7.9 in the five games at St Lucia, Aussies will still be tempted to bring back Starc for this all important match.
“The captain Mitchell Marsh knows it; however he is well aware that before they attempt making a fight against rampaging India, they will have to first get over the defeat and mental scars within a gap of only 36 hours.”
First things first, we need to get better. We have high faith in our squad because we know that we are a strong cricket team. We had off games but I suppose there is also something positive in the fact that it’s 36 hours away. It’s a massive game -must win. I think if you look back at the brief history of this group, I can safely say it often gets the best out of our boys, so expect them to be right up for it,” Marsh was defiant after Saturday night’s loss.
This is less complicated for India. All components of the Indian machine are working harmoniously and all they need to do is keep the engine running. No alterations are expect in playing XI and with Jasprit Bumrah on fire, we can only hope that he will neutralize Travis Head’s threat upfront. He is an explosive left-hander who has broken several hearts from India across all formats except his recent failure against Afghanistan.
Everything goes well for Team India on this day and its fans; what remains is that Rohit and his boys maintain their calmness as they’ve exhibited over the World Cup until now.
