ICC World Cup 2019 | Tournament will open up if India defeats Australia, says Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar has stated that the World Cup will completely open up if India manage to defeat Australia in Sunday’s encounter at The Oval. Australia will come into the game with two back to back wins over Afghanistan and West Indies whereas India had defeated South Africa in their lone game so far.
Australia were clinical in their opening encounter against Afghanistan but endured a top order slump in the game against West Indies. The Jason Holder led side were on top for most of the match but an unlikely match-winning knock from Nathan Coulter-Nile as well as a phenomenal spell from Mitchell Starc worked in the favour of the Kangaroos. Shoaib Akhtar feels that the Indian bowlers can again expose the Australian batsmen again at The Oval.
"If India manages to win over Australia, the tournament will totally open up. I think the Indian batsmen are committed to win this game, the bowlers are also ready to take the wickets because here (Aaron) Finch is dangerous (but at the same time), Glenn Maxwell has been exposed. India’s bowling can expose and test their batsmen,” he said on his Youtube channel.
Jasprit Bumrah bowled a phenomenal opening spell against South Africa to dismiss both the openers. Yuzvendra Chahal was the wrecker-in-chief as he picked up four wickets. It is likely that Mohammed Shami will replace Bhuvneshwar Kumar in Sunday’s encounter, as pointed out by Akhtar.
“Bumrah is yet again the key bowler. If Shami is chosen over Bhuvneshwar, that is going to be a very simple choice. At the same, Kuldeep, Chahal and Kedar’s role will be the turning point for India,” he reckoned.
Rohit Sharma carried his bat in the previous game while Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni showed composure in their short innings. The former Pakistan player feels that the Indian team will score big if Rohit once again bats deep.Â
“Whenever the top four batsmen get runs, they are the ones who win you the matches. Rohit Sharma goes deep down the order. If he gets runs giving the Indian team a proper platform and at the same time, Virat Kohli and the others (also fire), they go on to make big scores,” asserted the 43-year-old.
Australia have a lone specialist spinner in Adam Zampa, who has four scalps in two games, with Nathan Lyon unlikely to make it into the playing XI. On the other hand, India have a part-timer in Kedar Jadhav, apart from the duo of Chahal and Kuldeep. The Rawalpindi born player feels that India edges out Australia in the spin department.
“The pressure will be on Australia and India are going into this match as favourites. If Shami is into the mix, the Indian team is unbeatable. I think India has a far better chance (to win). The balance in the bowling lies with India, they have a specialist spinners, good fast bowlers. When you compare bowlers vs bowlers, both the teams bowlers are at par but at the same time, the spinners are the one who make a difference,” added the former pacer.
Lastly, Akhtar termed the second-ranked team as the favourites over the Finch led team.
“280 is going to be difficult but if India win the toss and bat first scoring over 300, then the pressure is on Australia. Anyways, tomorrow (Sunday) will be a belter and I think my favourite team India is winning tomorrow,” he signed off.