DUBAI // For the wonderful wizards of spin, resident or a visiting group, the Sydney Cricket Ground has traditionally been a haven in the land of Oz. At least, that is how the story goes.
Looking at India’s performance at the SCG through the years, though, it would be hard to believe those tales.
They have travelled to those shores with the magical trio of Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna in the past. In recent times, the visiting party has included the likes of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble.
Yet, India have only one win from 11 Test matches, back in 1978, and five defeats. In one-day internationals, the record is no better with one win (2008) from 14 matches and 12 losses.
MS Dhoni’s high-flying men, then, would prefer not to be reminded about their past at the SCG ahead of Thursday’s semi-final against the co-hosts at the venue. Or the winless pre-World Cup part of this tour, when they lost the Test series 2-0 and failed to win a match in the tri-series that followed.
Josh Hazlewood, the man who destroyed Pakistan in the quarter-finals with a four-wicket haul, has wasted no time in reminding India about those two series and claiming Australia “have the wood over them a little bit”.
Glenn Maxwell has also sent out a similar message, reminding India, “They haven’t won a game against us all through the summer. Hopefully that is pretty clear in their memories”.
However, Jason Gillespie, the former Australian pace bowler and now coach of English county champions Yorkshire, believes the past will matter little on Thursday.
“I am sure Australia will try to remind India of that, but I don’t look at it that way,” said Gillespie, who is here with his Yorkshire squad for the season-opening four-day English County Championship match against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which started in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
“It will come down to skills and who can nail those skills. It’s as simple as that. Everyone talks about who will bat first and put pressure on. But pressure is what is in your mind. It’s about the conditions and how you adapt to them quickly.
“So I think the team that adapts to the conditions quickest will come out on top.”
Gillespie says India have done a good job of adapting to the conditions in the World Cup, winning all seven of their matches and bowling out opponents in each those games.
“I think everybody knows how strong a batting order they have,” Gillespie said. “But I think what has been really impressive with India has been their ability to bowl sides out.
“Their bowling hasn’t been renowned, in the recent past, as being their strong point, and I think they have definitely done very well and that’s been a big part of their success.
“They have never been renowned as a good fielding side, either, but I think their fielding has been a lot better and I think they have put in some really good performances.”
Mohammed Shami has been the leading performer with the ball for India, taking 17 wickets from six matches, which puts him third on the list of the leading wicket-takers this World Cup. New Zealand’s Trent Boult is at the top with 19 wickets and second is Australia’s Mitchell Starc with 18.
Gillespie, an unabashed admirer of Starc, is looking forward to him and Shami going head-to-head in the semis.
“I am a massive, massive fan of his [Starc’s] work,” Gillespie said. “He keeps things simple: he bowls fast, bowls full and straight, and he looks to take wickets.
“That probably has been the highlight of this World Cup – it’s been batsmen really looking to put pressure on bowlers and score runs quickly, and bowlers are countering that by trying to be really aggressive and take wickets.
“Shami has also been fantastic. Look, I just think it has been a good team performance for India. The word teamwork has been synonymous with them in this World Cup.
“I think everyone knew this World Cup was going to be high-scoring. I think that’s what probably makes India’s effort with the ball all the more relevant because it has been a high-scoring World Cup. To see India bowl sides out seven matches in a row is a phenomenal achievement.”
arizvi@thenational.ae
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