Former Australian batsman Michael Hussey on February 17th predicted his semi-finalists for the ICC World Cup 2015. The list features Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri-Lanka. When asked about India’s chances, Hussey said that The Men in Blue might find it tough to progress beyond the quarter-finals but believes that this bunch will be a “force” to reckon with in near future.
During an interview with PTI, Hussey said:
“India are an exciting team as I have loved watching them this summer. There is so much talent and I am sure they are going to be a force in years to come.
“I feel that this time Australia have a great chance but there are a lot of great teams, who can win the World Cup. It is too early to make a prediction although the teams which would be looking the best at the quarter-final stage and has momentum will be hard to beat.”
Unlike other experts, Hussey also feels that facing short-pitched stuff is not an issue for the Indian batsmen now.
He said:
“The current players in the Indian team are adept at handling the short ball really well. That is what I have seen in the Test series.”
When asked about whether sub-continental teams like India and Sri Lanka will suffer on big Australian grounds during the mandatory batting Powerplay overs, Hussey said that this won’t be the case because they have smart players like Suresh Raina, Angelo Mathews, who are capable enough to find gaps.
“No, I disagree, there is more than one way to score heavily in the mandatory batting Powerplay overs. I agree batsmen, who are power-hitters are always helpful but you also need smart players, who play good shots into the gaps”, Hussey added.