Big Guns vs Big Ones

London, June 8  

India’s quest for glory will face a stern test in formidable Australia, forcing captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri to put their thinking caps on and contemplate a tactical rejig as one of World Cup’s most storied rivalries resumes here tomorrow.

With Steve Smith and David Warner back in side, Australia finally seemed to have picked their pieces and are playing exactly like five-time champions ought to. This will certainly be a cause of worry for India, who lost the bilateral ODI series against Australia at home earlier this year, and are still in search of a perfect combination both in batting and bowling.

Changing conditions

With the presence of the two talismans in the opposition ranks, India may have to tweak their playing XI, keeping the Oval pitch and the overcast conditions in mind.

Mohammed Shami, who was dropped from the playing XI against South Africa, is likely to make a comeback. The current Australian team could be more susceptible against the pace of Jasprit Bumrah and craft of Mohammed Shami. In case India decide to retain both the wrist-spinners and get Shami into the playing XI, then Bhuvneshwar Kumar will have to be dropped. And in case one of the two spinners is dropped, then Yuzvendra Chahal, despite his four-wicket-haul against South Africa, might make way for Kuldeep Yadav, who has had better success against Australia. Yadav is expected to be more effective because of the bounce and dip that he gets, apart from his stock delivery being the one that leaves the left-handers. The other issue could be Jadhav’s place in the team as his side-arm off-breaks may just not be as effective on an Oval pitch with true bounce, where batsmen can line him up for big hits. In that case, Vijay Shankar, with his wicket-to-wicket seam-up stuff and steady batting, could come into consideration. 

No comments on Dhoni

India vice-captain Rohit Sharma refused to comment on the MS Dhoni’s gloves controversy, saying he has no idea whatsoever about the issue. “I have no idea about it at all,” Rohit  said. “I am not the captain. I don’t know what is happening with that and have nothing to say about it. Let’s see what happens tomorrow,” he added. — PTI

ind vs aus in World Cup Matches: 11 Australia won: 8 India won: 3

Form guide

Australia: WWWWW

India: WLLLW

(L=lost W=won; Last five completed matches, most recent first)

Pitch and conditions: The Oval has been among the most high-scoring grounds in England since the 2015 World Cup. Dry weather expected

• 50 Steve Smith’s average is in excess of 50 vs India, better than his career average of 41.92
• 100 Percent record for Australia (11/11) and India (5/5) in taking their catches at the World Cup so far
• 18 Wickets for Yuzvendra Chahal at an average of 14.27 in the overs No. 41 to 45, while conceding 5.39 runs per over. Kuldeep Yadav has 16 wickets at an average of 18.12 with an economy rate of 6.49 in the same period