History will matter little as upbeat India take on Australia in blockbuster semifinal in Sydney today
Reams of newsprint, gigabytes of storage and hours of footage have been used up to reiterate the fact that the pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground is a spinner's delight. Golden brown, hard and rolled over to kill every blade of grass that's dared to spring up, Tom Parker's beloved strip is ready for action one last time this season.
Lest we forget, it's the same wicket on which South Africa spun a web around the hapless Sri Lankans last week. What Imran Tahir and JP Duminy did, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja can obviously do better. In any case, history suggests that the SCG is a place where spinners feel at home. From Warne to MacGill and Prasanna to Kumble, every tweaker worth his salt has thrived on this strip.
Going by India's rich spin tradition, shouldn't it be a given that they have a wonderful record here? Now, you are going to hate history. In 11 Tests, India have just a solitary win to show, and that too in 1978. Their record in ODI cricket is abysmal, so to speak. In 14 outings, India have registered one win and 12 losses with one match going neither way.
How, then, does one propose that India will go into Thursday's blockbuster semifinal as equals, if not favourites?
But try telling that to MS Dhoni, and he'll scoff at you. Try telling that to the Swamy Army, and they'll buy you a yellow jersey instead. And it's only good if one doesn't try telling that to Virat Kohli.
Driven, audacious and successful to such an extent that loud and proud Aussies consider him one of their own, the new face of Indian cricket is all geared up for the biggest match of his burgeoning career. Reckoning that there can't be a "more perfect time" to beat Australia in their own backyard, Kohli is desperate for the match to get under way. On a high after scoring an unprecedented four centuries in the Test series and averaging 60 in this World Cup, Kohli is what they call a player with a big-match temperament. Dhoni had said as much after the quarterfinal win over Bangladesh in Melbourne.
It's obvious that the Aussies will try and get under Kohli's skin on Thursday. They'll call him a spoilt brat. They'll call him arrogant. They'll bowl bouncers at him. They'll intimidate him. Kohli will take it all with his chin up. And then, he'll give it back with compound interest. That's how much he loves performing against Australia. A World Cup winner at 22, Kohli wants to be a double medal winner at 26. The dream spurs him on. To him, the summit is only inviting, never out of reach. Happy to absorb pressure before transmitting it to the opposition, he can turn the match on its head with a defining, defying knock. And he wants to do it. Be it neutralising Mitchell Starc, taking on Mitchell Johnson and subduing Josh Hazlewood, Kohli knows he must take the lead.
In his pursuit of excellence, Kohli will do well by recalling India's record in the knockout rounds of recent ICC tournaments. It's second to none. Apart from Dhoni and Kohli, two others tasted glory in 2011. Suresh Raina and Ashwin are vital cogs in the Indian wheel. Eight members from this lot also wore the Champions Trophy medal around their necks. There's no reason to doubt their pedigree.
That India have a fine pace attack and the best pair of spinners in this World Cup is well known. Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma may not have the build of a Johnson, but they certainly have the drive.
How else do you snare 42 of the 70 wickets on offer? That Ashwin and Jadeja will outsmart Australia's bits-and-pieces spinners is a given. How many batsmen can they bamboozle on Thursday?
The Australians know they run the risk of being out-spun. Their fans know they will be out-numbered. Can Kohli do the rest?
STAT UP
This is the first World Cup semifinal between India and Australia. Both teams have one win apiece against each other in previous World Cup knockouts (Australia: 2003 final, India: 2011 quarterfinal)
Australia have won all the six World Cup semifinals that they have played in, besides the famous tied game against South Africa in 1999. India have won three of their five semifinals, including the last two (2002 and 2011)
India have a 10-30 win-loss record against Australia in Australia. The ratio is India's second-worst against any team on foreign soil (after South Africa). On the other hand, the Aussies have won their last 12 completed ODIs on home soil
Virat Kohli's batting average against Australia in Australia is only 18.8, with 94 runs in six innings with a highest score of 31. Kohli's average shoots up to 75.14 against them outside Australia
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