ICC World Cup 2019 | Can’t pick favorites for India-Australia clash, says Sunil Gavaskar
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Sunil Gavaskar has stated that he cannot pick a favourite among India and Australia, when both the teams face each other at The Oval on Sunday. Australia stuttered against West Indies in their previous match but clawed back to win the game whereas India were clinical against South Africa.
Australia were struggling for the most part of the last 12 months but made a surprising comeback in the series in India, winning it by a margin of 3-2. Since then, the side has been on a roll and has also got back its star players David Warner and Steve Smith for the World Cup. The Aaron Finch-led side has won two out of two while India have played just once against a struggling South Africa. This has set up for a competitive match, as pointed out by Sunil Gavaskar.Â
"It promises to be a great game. It's even stevens. You can't say anybody is favourites. If you look at the way the Australians came back against the West Indies, that shows their character. That shows their old combativeness is back. They are a strong side. It's even stevens," he said, reported India Today.
West Indies had put Australia in a precarious position in Thursday’s encounter, leaving the Kangaroos reeling at 38/4 in 7.4 overs. West Indies had an upper hand even en route to their chase of 289 but Mitchell Starc’s breathtaking five-for ensured a win for his side. Referring to that game, Gavaskar suggested that India take advantage of the crunch moments.
"There will be slight door openings at various stages in the match. That is where India need to push the door wide open and then shut it down. I thought West Indies had that opportunity after their pacers had Australia in trouble. At that stage, if they had stuck with their regular bowlers, it could have been a different story,” expressed the former India skipper.
It is unlikely that Nathan Lyon will get a look in which will leave Australia with one specialist spinner in Adam Zampa apart from the occasional off-spin of Glenn Maxwell. India, on the other hand, have one of the most lethal spin attacks of this tournament in Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, who picked four wickets in the previous match, and part-timer Kedar Jadhav. The legendary batsman feels that the Virat Kohli led side’s spin attack will make the difference between the two sides at London today.
"I think on a pitch like this, India have two quality spinners to choke up the opposition in the middle overs. That's what has brought them success in the recent past in ODI cricket. It's not just the Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar factor at top, it's the middle overs where the wickets are taken has been India's secret to success. If you don't get wickets in the middle overs, then the opposition can go bang, bang towards the end and make up for the slow start," asserted the 69-year-old.
"Our spinners getting the wickets in the middle overs is what makes India different,” added Gavaskar.
