India are set to take on the mighty Aussies in the second semi final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, in their own backyard at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), on Thursday. So far in the tournament, India have relied on their power-packed batting order and fast bowling unit to do the job. But, in the semi final clash at the SCG, India would desperately want their spinners- Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja- to step up and be at their best as the pitches at the SCG are normally conducive to spin bowling and given the circumstances for this game, India are going to bank on them.
Ravichandran Ashwin made some changes in his action and approach before the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and these changes have helped him reap rich reward in the tournament. Ashwin has taken 12 wickets in seven matches and he is India’s third highest wicket taker in the tournament.
On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja, who was the leading wicket taker in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, hasn’t looked at his best. Although, Jadeja has picked 9 wickets in seven matches, he hasn’t been able to prevent the flow of runs in the middle overs. Jadeja has bowled 340 balls in the tournament so far and given 301 runs.
Ravindra Jadeja is the only Indian cricketer who hasn’t made an impact in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and there will be no better stage than the semi final against the mighty Aussies at SCG. There are 6 left-handed batsmen in Australia’s top 7 and Jadeja will be Dhoni’s major weapon if there is any assistance for the spinners at the SCG. Jadeja’s left-arm orthodox will take the ball away from the right-handers and this is where India can exert the pressure in the middle overs of the innings.
While all eyes will be on the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni and Mohammad Shami, Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm orthodox can have a major impact in this game. If Jadeja steps up tomorrow, it might just help India beat Australia for the first time in about four months and most importantly, proceed to the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
By Aniket Arora
