'Shami, Sharma and Yadav can bowl reigning champions into another final'
Friday 20 March 2015 14:45, UK
VVS Laxman is confident that India's in-form bowlers can fire the team to victory over Australia in the World Cup semi-finals.
Seamers Mohammed Shami (17), Umesh Yadav (14) and Mohit Sharma (11) have taken 42 wickets between them in India’s unbeaten run to date, with spinner Ravichandran Ashwin chipping in with a further (12).
And former India batsman is backing the 2011 World Cup champions to reach a second straight final by knocking off Michael Clarke’s co-hosts at the SCG on Thursday - provided they don’t let the occasion get to them.
“I am confident after the way India have played in all seven games so far,” said Laxman, who scored six hundreds in 86 one-day internationals for his country.
“I was a little apprehensive about their bowling at the start of the tournament as in the preceding Tri-Series they were seriously out of sorts, but they have bowled out every team they have played so far, which is a big achievement.
“There is good balance with three quick bowlers who can swing the ball and have an aggressive wicket-taking mindset, plus Ashwin, who is among the wickets and using the breeze well.
“India are also lucky to have two in-form openers in Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma who can put immediate pressure on the Australia bowlers and if they play to their potential they can win their semi-final.
“But they cannot be overawed because Australia are playing in their home conditions and have enough depth in their batting and bowling, especially in the latter with Mitchell Starc, who, for me, has been the best bowler in the tournament so far.”
I think India could get 300 and if they do that then they can really get at Australia.
Australia booked a Sydney showdown against India with a six-wicket triumph over Pakistan in Adelaide, Steve Smith (65) and Shane Watson (64no) among the runs and Josh Hazlewood (4-35) in the wickets.
However, Sky Sports pundit Mark Butcher reckons that with Mitchell Johnson taking just two scalps in his previous two games and the Baggy Greens lacking a frontline spinner, India have much to be buoyed by heading into the semi-final.
“One thing India will have looked at is that because Johnson doesn’t seem to have his rhythm quite right at the moment, things looked a lot more straightforward for Pakistan when Starc was out of the attack," said Butcher.
“With that in mind, I think India could get 300 against them and if they do that then they can really get at Australia.
“Plus, as South Africa’s Imran Tahir turned it at the SCG, India’s spinners might do the same and that could play into their hands as Australia don’t have a proper spin bowler.”
Pakistan’s exit shattered hopes of an exhilarating last-four contest with India, a side they have lost to in all six of their World Cup matches.
But Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton thinks Australia-India will make for a more even contest than Pakistan-India, though he still makes the home team marginal favourites to make the final.
“I think that because Australia got through we will have a better semi-final as Pakistan’s batting and fielding is simply not good enough to win a World Cup,” said Atherton.
“There are one or two fragile areas in Australia’s line-up, especially the batting, but they look a formidable bowling outfit and also have one of the best fielding units in the tournament. That inner ring, with the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Smith, is lightning.”
Watch Australia versus India from 3am on Thursday, March 26 on Sky Sports World Cup (channel 403).
