India started their world campaign with a great victory against South Africa. However, a tougher battle awaits Men in Blue in the form of Australia. The defending champions won their first two games quite easily and are set to lock horns against India on Sunday.
But the team are left nothing to do for a day after rain played spoil sport. India are supposed to train ahead of Sunday’s game at Oval. But with rain making it’s presence, the Men in Blue could not put their plans in to practice and a day was wasted.
Meanwhile, the game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned after rain gods made their presence felt. Not even a single ball was bowled and it became the first game in this world cup, where points were shared between teams.
There are high expectations among fans regarding the game in cricketing terms at The Oval. However, India have had bad experiences playing against Australia in recent editions. The Aussies are leading India 8-3 in World Cups.
On the other hand, India and Australia made things even before world cup began. India won both Test series and ODI series in Australia, while the Aussies won T20 and ODI series in India against the hosts.
Australia Stronger With Warner, Smith
Australia are traditionally one of the strongest teams in the mega event. They won five world cups and are by far the most dominant team in this event. The team arguably has the best bowling lineup in the world that suit English conditions.
It was evident during their first two games when their bowlers rattled Afghan, West Indies players at ease. On the other hand, the addition of David Warner and Steve Smith is already paying dividends for Australia.
David Warner was superb against Afghanistan as he guided Australia to a comfortable win. But Steve Smith was there when Australia needed him the most, against West Indies. After initial rout by West Indies bowlers, Smith stood firm and made a gritty fifty.
He played with the tail and gave Australia, a match winning total on the day. With both the players in form, Australia pose more danger than before. It will be interesting to see how Indian bowlers will tackle strong Aussie batting lineup on Sunday. India also played against Australia at The Oval in 1999.
A Glenn McGrath‘s masterclass ensured that India could not stand a chance against Australia back then. The Australian team won comfortably by 77 runs and went on to win their second world cup.