India, Australia resume their cricketing rivalry at the Chinnaswamy today and though it's just a World Cup warm-up tie, the spectators as well as players will make it a Sunday to savour
India, Australia resume their cricketing rivalry at the Chinnaswamy today and though it's just a World Cup warm-up tie, the spectators as well as players will make it a Sunday to savour
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| India skipper MS Dhoni during a training session in Bangalore on Saturday PIC/afp |
The mood in both camps is upbeat. Arch-rivals India and Australia square off in an unofficial one-day international here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. Despite it being just a teaser to the forthcoming World Cup, the passionate Garden City crowd is expected to swarm in.
It's the perfect setting for both teams to get their combinations right. India have lost Praveen Kumar to injury, while Australia look to defend its crown without middle-order batsman, Michael Hussey. The top-level of competition and jam-packed crowd presents the ideal forum to kick into high gear.
Both sides have been in top one-day form in recent times. India lost 3-2 in South Africa in January, but had whitewashed New Zealand 5-0 in the previous series. Australia beat England 6-1 in their recent series and have won 22 of their 32 matches since the start of 2010 - an impeccable record.
In World Cup cricket, Australia hold a distinct edge over India, having won seven out of nine games. Their last meeting at a World Cup was the infamous final at Wanderers, Johannesburg in 2003. Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee are the only two survivors for Australia from that game. For India, as many as five players in the current squad were part of that unforgettable 125-run defeat.
On Saturday, Zaheer Khan took the day off but the rest of the Indian squad toiled hard for nearly three hours on the fourth and final day of the World Cup preparatory camp. Harbhajan Singh, who missed nets on Friday, was also present. The intensity was at an optimum during the session.
Meanwhile, Aussie vice-captain Michael Clarke said his team was looking forward to playing as a unit. "We have great individual players but a team wins a World Cup when the whole team plays well together," said Clarke, who aggregated 436 runs in the last World Cup in the West Indies.
"The pitches here are similar to the ones used in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, but I guess many teams have experience of playing in Indian conditions nowadays as there is the IPL and Champions League apart from international fixtures," he added.
Clarke backed Shane Watson and opening partner Brad Haddin to play key roles like Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden did four years ago. "Shane is a lot different player to Adam. I think the combination of Watson and Haddin is a very good combination because both players can play a positive role and they bat very well together," he said.
There was an evident grass cover on the surface but most of it is expected to be shaved off for Sunday's game. In fact, Clarke said his team's quicks are hoping to send down some bouncers.u00a0
