ICC World Cup 2019 Match 14, India v Australia: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

It will not be an exaggeration to call the India–Australia clash at The Oval on June 9 the first marquee match of the tournament. England, Australia, and India have been touted by pundits as three of the four semi-finalists this time, and this will be the first match featuring two of the three.

India came back from 0-1 to win the ODI series in Australia 2-1. Australia returned the favour, winning 3-2 in India after being down 0-2. Honours even, one would say, but then – that was without Steven Smith and David Warner. Both men have looked in touch since their comeback, making up for whatever experience the Australian top order lacked.

Add to that one of the fiercest pace attacks – Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Coulter-Nile, all of whom can bat – and the steadily improving Adam Zampa, and you will realise that the Australian bowling attack has the most depth among all.

But then, in Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, India boast of the most prolific top three; Jasprit Bumrah is the top-ranked bowler in the world; and as we saw in the South Africa match, two wrist-spinners in tandem can be as effective in England as anywhere.

But more than that, there will be tempers flying, as is often the norm in India-Australia matches; and amidst that the side that holds its nerves better will prevail. And at the biggest stage, it has always been Australia. They have also won 10 ODIs (and two warm-up games) on the trot.

Head to head

Australia hold a clear 77-49 advantage here. In World Cups alone the head-to-head reads 8-3, and two of India’s three wins came in 1983 and 1987. They have met thrice on English soil, all of them in World Cups: they won 1 each in 1983 before India lost in 1999.

Key players

MS Dhoni (India): With 51, 55*, and 87*, Dhoni was named Player of the Series when India beat Australia in Australia earlier this year. Dhoni also averages 72.20 this year, not to speak of his constant inputs from behind the stumps. And one cannot help but wonder how he will react to having to remove that insignia from his gloves: will Australia end up paying for it?

Pat Cummins (Australia): Cummins took 14 wickets in India earlier this year – the most by a touring fast bowler in a 5-ODI series on Indian soil. He has been in terrific form ever since, in his solitary ODI in UAE, then in the warm-up matches at home and in England; and once here, he has picked up 5/81 from the first two matches. India will have their job cut out.

Likely XIs

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Australia: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

Prediction

Everything points at Australia, but India are likely to make things difficult for them.