Sydney: Former England captain Michael Vaughan, one of the best thinkers of the game, feels the India versus Australia semi-final on Thursday will be a 50-50 affair.
“Australia played India some 10 times and won on every occasion. But there is something about Mahendra Singh Dhoni and World Cups and what he did after the tri-series is remarkable. So I really do think it’s a 50-50 caller.”
Vaughan believes that first 15 overs play a big role. “In all semi-finals, the team that plays well in the first 15 overs of the match, be it with the ball or bat, is the team that gets ahead and wins that game. They have all got power, all got finesse and they have got different kind angles to create in the field. Dhoni knows how to win World Cups and that goes quite a long way.”
When asked for his in-depth views on how the game can tilt in favour of a team, he said: “If you are a good side, you can win irrespective of you are batting first or chasing. The last 10 out of 13 games at the Sydney Cricket Ground have been about the team that’s chasing but I think it’s a bat-first wicket. Get runs on the board. It is one of the best pitches in the world and generally a team plays best on a given day will win it. I say winning the toss gives you a 20 per cent sway.”
Vaughan picked out Ajinkya Rahane for special mention on who can do well in the semi-final. “Indian team has a wonderful array of batsmen. They have got couple of young players like Rahane. I think he is the best technician among Indian players. He plays quicks and spin as well as anybody.”
Vaughan then went on to explain why Rahane is special: “It is his alignment at the crease. He doesn’t get that left-foot too far across and that’s why he has got great balance on the backfoot. He has not only got options of playing both cut and pulls but also has the option of going down the ground. When you have those options as a batsman, you make it difficult for opposition to set fields, as you can’t set fields for shots down the ground.
“I think he showed in England last year when he allowed the balls to come onto him. I think in the next four or five years, you will be talking a lot about Rahane more than what we have heard even up till now as he is a wonderful player.”
The man who regained the Ashes for England in 2005 believes that Sydney ground pitch may turn during the semi-finals. “It will take some spin. [Ravichandran] Ashwin is getting the ball to shape through the air, which is very important to his style of bowling. They are looking at what Imran Tahir did in the quarter-finals.”
To a query on his country’s team, Vaughan candidly said: “England is lagging behind rest of the World in One Day International cricket. Bangladesh were too good on that day. It was not a good World Cup for England. They have never had any since 1992.”
