India clinically put down a miserable Proteas outfit in the first match of their World Cup campaign, but can expect a stiffer challenge from a team that has beaten them in their last three ODI meetings.
Australia survived a mini-collapse against the West Indies thanks to Nathan Coulter-Nile’s incredible knock of 92 from number eight – and then some brilliant bowling from Mitchell Starc.
9 June 2019
India v Australia
The Oval, London
11:30
To Win Match
India 82/100
Tie 40/1
Australia 21/20
India
India’s emphatic win over South Africa in their tournament opener at the Rose Bowl underlined their supremacy in all areas of the game, but a win against an unbeaten Australian unit would cement them as favourites for the crown.
The men in blue play their best cricket when opener Rohit Sharma is firing on all cylinders – and he looked to have played himself in nicely with a century in the chase in Southampton.
India have so much firepower, both with the bat and ball, that it makes it difficult to pick out just one or two players who can hurt the opposition.
The middle-order of Virat Kohli, Lokesh Rahul and Mahendra Singh Dhoni would like to make a bigger contribution to the cause, but all-rounder Hardik Pandya showed his value as a finisher with a brutal cameo against the Proteas.
India will get to re-ignite their love-dislike relationship with in-form ex-skipper Steven Smith, who didn’t play in Australia’s three-two ODI series win in March.
Australia
Australia are upbeat after an unbeaten start to the tournament, albeit against the two teams who had to qualify for the World Cup in Afghanistan and the West Indies.
Smith and fellow pantomime villain David Warner carried the top-order efforts in those games, but Australia’s famous grit returned in the shape of Coulter-Nile’s counter-attacking knock that proved the difference against the Windies.
Australia’s infamous luck seems to have come back into play as well, with a number of borderline decisions going their way, much to the annoyance of a West Indies team who have made a positive start to the tournament.
Starc took the first five-wicket haul of CWC 2019 against the Windies – and has found a rhythm that should terrify opposition batsmen. The battle between Starc and India’s top order could prove to be the highlight of this contest.
Verdict: India 82/100
India are the better side on paper.
