ICC World Cup 2015: India vs Australia - 5 things to look forward to

After almost a week’s wait, the day is finally here. Tomorrow afternoon, at half-past two, not one seat at the grand Sydney Cricket Ground will be left vacant. It’s time for Australia and India – the two champion teams with nine World Cup finals between them – to meet yet again. Here are five things to look forward to from this epic encounter:

#1 The magic of March

In the last decade or so, the month of March has held tremendous significance to both Australia and India. It was March 2001 when VVS Laxman brought down an empire built by Steve Waugh’s world beaters, and initiated the golden era in Indian cricketing history.

Some seven years later, in the same month, MS Dhoni’s turks brought home a rarely achieved one-day series victory in Australia amidst a lot of fanfare – beating a deadly Australian outfit in the finals. And in between 2001 and 2015, the third month of the calender year has seen plenty.

However, two dates stand out from the rest: 23rd March, 2003 – A buoyant Indian outfit led by Sourav Ganguly reached the World Cup final when no one gave them a chance, only to get pummeled by Ricky Ponting’s heroics.

Eight years and a day later, it took something special from Yuvraj Singh to send Ricky Ponting and company back home after the Australians lost to India in the quarter-final at Ahmedabad. While Punter’s dream of a hat-trick remained unfulfilled, India became champions after 28 years. 2003 was avenged.

It’s that time of the year again, and we know that tomorrow’s match is going to be a decider of sorts. But who will triumph is a question that can’t be answered yet.

#2 Ground Realities

The Australians might call the SCG their own, but come Thursday, they will disown the crowd as much as they can. The majority of the seats are expected to be filled by loud, jubilant and excited Indian supporters as Michael Clarke’s calls for home support have gone down in vain.

But from the sea of blue in the stands, as one moves the attention to the pitch in the middle, things get a little different. While it continues to be the cynosure of all eyes, and the main talking point, no one yet knows how the pitch is going to behave exactly. But one thing is for sure, it won’t offer the steep kind of bounce seen at Adelaide, Brisbane or Perth. It might just assist spinners too.

The weather is going to be clear for most part of Thursday, after rains lashed the city over the past two days. Like Ravi Shastri would put it, it’s all set to be a cracker of a contest.

#3 Virat Kohli vs Australia

If there’s one man who the Australians couldn’t take a liking towards throughout the Australian summer – it had to be Virat Kohli. After four hundreds in four Tests and some countless hours of banter in the middle, Kohli will be going face to face with a side that gets his competitive juices flowing once again.

The battle lines have already been drawn, and Mitchell Johnson has sent out a warning. But will he and his team be able to get under the skin of one of India’s greatest big-match player? Or will Kohli have the final say in a saga that is yet to favour the Indian side?

#4 Glenn Maxwell vs Ravichandran Ashwin

In his entire one-day career, Glenn Maxwell has been dismissed by Ravichandran Ashwin only once. It was in Nagpur, in 2013, that Maxwell threw his wicket away, trying to put one into the stands over deep midwicket. Between then and now, a lot of water has flown under the bridge.

In IPL 2014, Maxwell took a special liking towards Ashwin’s off-breaks, punishing him severely in the first two games that Punjab and Chennai faced each other in. Later in the same season, Ashwin got back at Maxwell by dismissing him cheaply in the qualifier at Mumbai.

It seemed that this to and fro battle would continue till eternity, but the two games between India and Australia in the tri-series preceding the World Cup and the warm-up game in Adelaide didn’t see much of this face off. Now that the rivalry will resume. It will be interesting to see how Maxwell responds to a far more confident Ashwin. Playing an off-spinner who is bowling slower and giving the ball more air and revolutions, will not be easy. Or does the ‘Big Show’ have a trick or two up his sleeve?

#5 Ravindra Jadeja joins the party

In the entire Indian XI that has played every game till now, the only player who is yet to have a field day has been Ravindra Jadeja. But Thursday might change everything. The Australian batting line-up is filled with players who like hitting over mid-wicket.

That’s where Jadeja’s left-arm orthodox deliveries, moving away from the right-hander will come in handy. Don’t forget that the Australians had a tough time in dealing with Daniel Vettori, and the Sydney surface promises to offer more than what Eden Park did. It might just be time to invite “Sir” Jadeja to the party.