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Australia looking strong against India─── 08:02 Thu, 26 Mar 2015
The second semi-final of the Cricket World Cup is under way with the worlds’ leading side, Australia facing the defending champions, India in Sydney.
This morning the hosts toss the toss for the crucial match and elected to bat first on the pitch which looks as if it could be a batsman’s paradise.
Both teams went in with unchanged line-ups for a match that will be played on a dry pitch with no real grass cover, a surface that should bring hefty totals.
Indian captain, MS Dhoni agreed that there would be little change in the pitch from the first to the second innings, although he conceded that India would have batted first.
However, they will be encouraged by the presence of one of world cricket's finest chasers, Virat Kohli, in their line-up.
India are undefeated so far in this tournament and four of those wins have come batting second, although they have yet to be set a target in excess of 300.
Shikhar Dhawan has two hundreds in this World Cup, while Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina has one.
Australia's batting has been perhaps a little less emphatic, with David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch each having scored one ton.
While India’s seamers have come to the party in the tournament, perhaps it will be their spinners who may have the last say on the Sydney track.
The Indians in their turn are probably the most settled team at the tournament are likely to stick with the same eleven that has been doing the business for them thus far.
The Sydney track is the same one that was used for the South Africa versus Sri Lanka, and at the end of a very long and hard season while in all likeliness be more suited to the team from the subcontinent.
History and home ground adavantage makes the Aussies favourites for the match, with only one loss to India in 13 ODI’s in Sydney… and that was seven years ago.
On top of that it’s been more than three years ago since they lost a one-day international to anyone at the iconic ground.
Ahead of the match, captain Michael Clarke said thorough match preparation as severed then well in the past.
The dangerous Rohit Sharma revealed that they watched bits of Tuesdays’ semi and hope they are the ones to face the Blacks Caps on Sunday.
After 30 overs Australia were on 155 for one.
Morgan Piek / OFM News
Listen to the Cricket World Cup morning wrap - 26 March :
