Awaiting a battle royale between India and Australia

Australia and India have been without doubt the top two teams in this World Cup with Australia holding a slight advantage over India after their win in the head-to-head clash involving the two teams. No wonder, then, that I am looking forward to an India-Australia final with the fervent prayer that Australia's one bad day in the tournament should come at Wanderers on March 23, 2003.

In my estimation, Ricky Ponting's men quite simply possess too much firepower at the moment for Sri Lanka and this means the men from the Emerald Isles will find it extremely difficult to upset the defending world champions at Port Elizabeth on Tuesday. India, similarly, hold far too many aces for Kenya's comfort and this means that their place in the final too is as good as sealed.

If the clash between India and Australia materialises as expected it would provide a fitting finale to what has been a bowlers' World Cup. You don't have to look far to notice this indubitable fact. Looking at the success of the Indian bowling department would more than suffice. Indeed, who would have thought ahead of the World Cup that Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Nehra and Harbhajan would prove more potent than our famed batting line-up!

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In fact, all the fast bowlers are having a merry time, claiming a lot of wickets. But I have heard quite a few experts say that the spinners, in comparison, have not enjoyed much success in this World Cup. I don't think this is the case. If we look closely, the only two attacking spinners in the tournament - Muttiah Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh - have both had a good tournament so far. Sadly, Shane Warne's controversial departure without bowling a single ball has meant that the image of the spinners has taken a beating despite the fine showing by the duo.

Now this does go a long way towards underlining the impact that Warne has had on this wonderful game. The `King of Spin', as I would like to address him, was the one man who brought back attacking spin bowling to one-day cricket. With his absence, we are not only missing a great leg-spinner but also a charismatic individual who would have kept the flashbulbs occupied. Definitely, Warne would have bowled a lot many overs and his very presence would have proved tremendous for this World Cup.

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It was interesting to note that Pakistan did not use Saqlain Mushtaq in all their games, and I thought that Daniel Vettori too was slightly under-bowled in the tournament. Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, meanwhile, have been playing under the shadow of the prolific pace trio, which certainly is a new phenomenon in Indian cricket.

I must have mentioned in one of my previous columns that the two Australian spinners, Brad Hogg and Nathan Hauritz, spent some time with me at the MRF foundation a few years ago. Both of them are blessed with oodles of ability. It, then, came as no surprise to me to see Hogg succeed at the World Cup. All Hogg needed was the infusion of a healthy dose of confidence and playing at the highest level for Australia seems to have done the trick for him.

Looking at the two semi-finals, I think that the toss will play a big role in the first clash between Australia and Sri Lanka. If Sri Lanka can put up a big score, and then put pressure on the Australian batsmen, they might get into a position from where they could aim for a place in the final. But all that looks highly unlikely, as Australia have the resources to put it across Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's best chance would lie in Chaminda Vaas finding the opportunity to have an early tilt at Ponting. I have noticed that Ponting has been shuffling across his stumps early in his innings in an attempt play through the mid-wicket region. Against quality opposition this flaw in technique can prove fatal.

The early dismissal of Ponting, if achieved, could derail the Australians, as their middle-order does not seem assured enough. I, for one, would certainly have had a Steve Waugh in that batting line-up, for he is one man you can rely on in an absolutely hopeless situation. Unfortunately, all Australia are left with is Michael Bevan.

India's amazing run of success, meanwhile, has to be attributed to the wonderful team spirit they seem to have forged. It is indeed heartening to find the boys in such good cheer while also looking focused and confident of their ability to win against any opposition. With this being the case, I don't see the Kenyan bowlers causing the Indian batsmen any trouble in the second semi-final, a day-nighter to be played at Durban on Thursday.

Collins Obuya, their biggest weapon in the middle overs, can expect to find the going tough against the likes of Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh. The Indian bowling too at this present juncture is far too good for the Kenyan batsmen.

Having said that, it is a lacuna in our bowling that would constitute my only worry in the event of an Australia-India final. The fact the we are employing just four frontline bowlers means that we could find ourselves badly exposed if even one bowler were to crumble under the relentless pressure that the aggressive Australian batsmen are bound to exert. In the circumstances, I feel it would not be a bad idea to field a fifth bowler in Anil Kumble in the final.