ESPNSTAR.com brings to you the preview of the India-Australia warm-up as ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 finally begins. It’s show time folks!
Before you go on to read our preview, here is where you get to know all you want about the Teams, Star Players , Captains, Statistics, Factoids, History, Venues and of course the Fixtures of the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. And if you are Ricky Ponting – the phrase just gains that much more gravitas for the skipper of the team which has won and retained the crown of ICC World Cup Champions from the past three Cricket World Cups.
So don’t be surprised if the ball gets rolling from Sunday’s warm-up game itself at Bengaluru as defending champions Australia are up against none other than hot favourites India in a game which may not be remembered just for a few practice hits.
For starters, Ponting will be back in action for the first time after exacerbating a finger injury that he received during the Ashes series Down Under and he has already made his intention clear about playing in the two warm-up games. Injuries have troubled his side with Mike Hussey ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury and Nathan Hauritz suffering from a shoulder strain.
The stakes won’t be any lower for Ponting’s counterpart, Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for he carries the burden of expectations of a billion people. He may eulogize it by calling it an “added-responsibility” but the Indian skipper is well aware that one bad game at the start will lead the nation's fickle fans to turn the heat on him. Add to it the last minute exit of Praveen Kumar and one realizes that MS Dhoni has some issues to address.
But these games have not been given international status by the ICC and this will allow teams to try out various combinations and get the fine-tuning done. In Sunday’s game batsmen have the option of declaring and teams can shuffle the playing eleven from the fifteen.
A close look at the Aussie squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup and one would assume that Ponting and Co. know the pitfalls of picking only one spinner on the turning tracks of the Indian sub-continent.
The Men in Blue on other hand have three spinners in their armoury with Turbanator Harbhajan Singh leading the attack. On the contrary, just-fit-in-time Brett Lee will carry the bulk of Australia’s largely pace laden attack.
Bengaluru might not provide Indian spinners the vicious turn that would worry the Kangaroos, but considering the nature and history of the Chinnaswamy stadium, scoring will not be that easy with the ball holding up after pitching.
Named after a former BCCI president, M Chinnaswamy Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for the Indians, especially during World Cups in the past. The last India match it hosted during a Cricket World Cup was a quarter-final battle between the hosts and Pakistan in 1996. India emerged victorious in a classic that remains fresh in public memory.
India go into this tournament with their tail up. The presence of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag at the top, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan in the middle would give any opposition some sleepless nights.
Australia on the other hand will carry huge confidence from their 6-1 win over a strong unit like England and will have a point to prove as well. Punter has expressed confidence in his team’s ability to win on any soil.
"I don't really care where we start the tournament. It's irrelevant. I think going into the last Cricket World Cup there was negativity around us. We lost the Commonwealth Bank series and lost to New Zealand. So there were a few doubts around our team but we went there [West Indies] and won the World Cup. I don't think it really matters too much what's happening in the lead-up.
"I don't care who the favourite is. I don't know whether there is such a thing around in tournament like this,” Ponting claimed on Friday.
Whether there are any tournament favorites or not - the Sunday game will serve as a useful form-guide. Bring it on guys, let the games begin!
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