Sydney: Defending champions India will take on Australia in the second semi-final of World Cup 2015 at Sydney Crickey ground (SCG) on March 26.It's going to be a high-voltage thriller as both the teams are equally confident after having played superbly in this World Cup.
Crediting bowlers for Indian team's remarkable turnaround after a winless show preceding the World Cup, star batsman Virat Kohli feels it is the perfect time to beat Australia in Thursday's semifinal and do justice to their performance in the showpiece event.
Every team has its own SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats).
Here goes a comparative SWOT analysis of the two teams:
Strength:
| India | Australia |
| India's top four batsmen have regularly managed to score above 200 runs. | Mitchell Starc's top notch form and his ability to take wickets upfront can unnerve any opposition batting line up. |
| The recent form of R Ashwin can help in containing Australian batsmen in middle overs which will help in containing Aussies to a low score. | Australia has two of the most explosive opener in the form of David Warner and Aaron Finch who can take the game away from the opposition in a span of few overs. |
| Indian pacers have shown a consistent form recently and their ability to take wickets will be the biggest plus point. India's fielding, and particularly catching in the deep has been a big positive so far . | Good finisher in the form of James Faulkner |
| MS Dhoni & rest can take it to 275-280 | The Aussies have middle order with the experience of skipper Michael Clarke and the exuberance of Steven Smith. |
Weakness:
| India | Australia |
| India's lower batting order has not been tested so far in the tournament and it may collapse under pressure in a big game like semi final | Apart from Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Jhonson Australia lacks a genuine fifth bowler and it is a chink in the armour which the Indian batsmen can exploit. |
| Ravindra Jadeja not clicking with bat and ball except for the last game against Bangladesh. He needs to fire if Team India wants to proceed to the finale of World Cup 2015. | No genuine spin bowler in the Aussie line up. |
| Chasing more than 250 runs against the Aussie pace attack can be a problem. The spearhead of Aussie bowling attack | Aussies seems to crumble under pressure as they have shown in the league match against New Zealand |
Opportunity:
| India | Australia |
| Can dismantle Aussie batting line up with accurate pace , already showed by the New Zealand bowlers | Home advantage for the Aussie team |
| Only Mitchell Starc is among wickets | Defeated Team India first in Test Series and then in ODI series before the World Cup. |
| Australia is having a team with many players playing thier first team | Aussie bowlers can use the tradition weakness of Indian batsmen against short-pitched deliveries. |
Threat:
| India | Australia |
| Mitchell Johnson coming to form | Shikhar Dhawan playing freely at the top of the India's batting order. |
| Scores more than 300+ runs can be a problem | Virat Kohli playing a good knock in the semi final |
| Not taking regular wickets can hurt Team India | Team India scoring more than 300 runs.Sydney Cricket ground to help Indian Spinners R Ashwin and R Jadeja more than their Aussie counterpart. |
