ODI World Cup: Jatin Paranjape, the former India cricketer and national selector, believes Tuesday’s semifinal against Australia is a final before the final, in which he feels the Rohit Sharma-led side has the upper edge. The India versus Australia semifinal in Dubai will be a rematch of the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup final for a place in the Champions Trophy title clash scheduled for March 9. While Australia have just one win from three group matches – two of which were abandoned due to rain- India go in on the back of three consecutive wins in the group stage.
“The Final before the Final is the way I see tomorrow’s match against Australia. It will be closely contested, but I do believe India have the edge, especially with Pat Cummins missing. Steve Smith is an able captain, no doubt, but it’s Cummins’ class with the ball and his ability to rip out batsmen that Australia will miss most.”
“As I think about the match, what seems most important are two things: how does the India top four fire? And how does India bowl to Australia’s middle-order of Inglis, Maxwell, and Carey?” Paranjape, a member of BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee and co-founder of KheloMore, told IANS on Monday.
