And Watson, who could be playing his final game for his country after announcing in recent days that he will retire from global cricket following the tournament, believes Australia will pose a very different test for India on Sunday than when the teams last faced off.
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And on Sunday, India and Australia will face-off in a virtual quarter-final at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali. Watson said it is good that his team doesn’t have to worry about the run rate anymore as it is a victor takes all affair.
Watson says “it’s good that it has come down to a simple equation” of winning one more match to move on.
India’s bowling has largely been good and now the batsmen will now have to raise the bar a few notches in the crucial “decider”, at a ground where the home team has a good one-day record and has won the lone T20 global it has played. “The silent treatment… we thought it might work but he still just goes about his business and is able to churn out the runs”.
“From my personal perspective to have the opportunity to play in what is hopefully not but what could be my last game…this is I suppose as big a dream as you could imagine, playing India at home”, Watson said.
Australia will be more confident than India coming into the tie with a massive win over Pakistan in their last match.
Inasmuch as India kept its nerve in a tense run chase, it will be mindful of the fact that it wasn’t a game it won as much as Bangladesh lost. “Sometimes we tend to get carried away with the occasion or the importance of the game or the situation that we’re in we forget to do what needs to be done on that particular delivery which can be a game changing event”.
But he will provide no threat to Indian batsmen, especially openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan and the in-form batsman Virat Kohli who keeps his best against arch-rival Australia.
MS Dhoni’s men have not struggled with their eleven as much as they fought for rhythm.
Getting partnerships in the middle is always important, he said in reply to another question and heaped praise on skipper Steve Smith (61) and Shane Watson (44) for bailing the side out from 57 for three at one stage. “He has finished many big games which builds a self assurance and self confidence over a period of time”, he said. Jasprit Bumrah’s ability to land the yorkers relentlessly will be paramount to the team’s chances of restricting a power-packed Australian batting lineup. At the end of the day, it is same for both teams, we have to adapt, whatever it is, whether it has got pace, whether it is slow, we will soon find out.
It was Smith, under Michael Clarke’s captaincy, who hit a calm and composed century (105 from 93 balls) in the 2015 World Cup semis and helped his team knock India out of the tournament.
The rivalry between the two great cricketing nations comes from the success both have tasted in all formats of the game. I suppose that’s what I’ve learnt over my whole career – it is a very important game but really you’ve just got to put it in the context that it’s just another game.
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“My former self, compared to now, I was normally in the thick of things as well”. Though a different pitch will be used for the India-Australia game, it surely gives an idea that we may get a batting wicket on Sunday. “It affected him for two balls and then I dropped him at the slips”, said a witty Watson.
