ICC World Cup 2019: Match 14, India vs Australia – Match Preview

The second Sunday of the ICC World up 2019 will see the clash of the titans when India go up against Australia at the Kennington Oval in London. Meanwhile, India will look for their second win in the tournament; the Aussies will be playing their third match.

India’s batting looked patchy during their small chase against South Africa. It was Rohit Sharma’s unbeaten century which sealed the clash for them. Meanwhile, the top-order will have to come good against a better bowling attack which has the likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.

Read More: Jos Buttler Suffers Hip Injury, Jonny Bairstow Dons Wicketkeeping Gloves Against Bangladesh

Moreover, India might think about playing one extra seamer seeing Australia’s weak links against short deliveries. Despite that, the onus will be on the two spinners – Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal to control the game in the middle overs, which will be one of the deciding factors. Meanwhile, the team will look to come forward from the debates over MS Dhoni’s insignia wicket-keeping gloves during Sunday’s encounter.

Also read: Watch As Shoaib Akhtar Destroys AB de Villiers For Choosing Money Over Country

On the other hand, Australia are coming from a ten-match winning streak and will be brimming with confidence ahead of their next tie. However, Windies fast bowlers tested the Aussie batters with quality bouncers which had them in trouble. Assistant coach Ricky Ponting said it was a good wake-up call for them early in the tournament.

Meanwhile, both the sides have met each other quite a few times this year. While  India defeated Australia overseas, Aaron Finch & Co returned the favour in India. The Aussies were 0-2 down at the start of the series before winning three consecutive games to win it 3-2. Australia will look to draw confidence from that victory when they take the field at the Kennington Oval.

Date and Venue: June 9 (Sunday), 3:00 PM IST, Kennington Oval, London

Predicted XI

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

Australia: Aaron Finch, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

Read More: ICC World Cup 2019: Match 14, India vs Australia – Match Preview

World Cup Head to Head

Statistical Preview

i) Shikhar Dhawan (8,988 runs) is 12 runs away to complete his 9,000 international runs. He will be the fourth left-handed Indian batsman and 15th overall Indian batsman to score 9,000 runs in international career.

ii) Ravindra Jadeja (397 wickets) is three wickets behind from the 400 international wickets. He will be the seventh Indian bowler and second Indian left-arm bowler to pick up 400 or more international wickets.

iii) All-rounder Hardik Pandya (97 wickets) is three wickets behind to complete his 100 international wickets.

iv) Marcus Stoinis (982 runs) is 18 runs away to complete his 1,000 ODI runs. He has also taken 28 ODI wickets. He will be the 19th Aussie cricketer to score 1,000 runs and also to take at least 25 wickets in ODI career.

v) Nathan Coulter-Nile (48 wickets) is two wickets away to complete his 50 ODI wickets.

Pitch Report

The pitch in Kennington Oval has primarily favoured the batsmen with the South Africa-Bangladesh game witnessing 300+ runs. However, there will be assistance for the bowlers as well with the new ball considering the overcast skies.

Weather Forecast

The temperatures will be ranging around 15-17 degrees Celsius with significant cloud cover throughout the game. Meanwhile, rain is in the forecast, and there is a possibility that it can curtail the game time.

Match Prediction

Australia have a good record against India in World Cup matches with eight wins from 11 matches. But Sunday’s encounter will be a different ball game as the Men in Blues have come into this tournament as the second-ranked ODI side.
As a result, Virat Kohli & Co have a significant chance of making two out of two at the Kennington Oval.