LONDON: In cricket, things can change quickly. Not rated among the favourites for the World Cup for the first time in many years till about three months ago, Australia are back. The team Virat Kohli’s men face at The Oval on Sunday is stronger than the one which beat India in India in March.
Batting problems sorted following the return of Steve Smith and David Warner and bowling looking incisive, Aaron Finch & Co are one of the sides to beat.
Competition for places is so intense that after stroking a match-turning 60-ball 92 against the West Indies, fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile said he was not sure whether he would retain his berth for conceding 70 in 10 overs in the same game.
This is in stark contrast to the team which was losing left, right and centre until the second match of the series in India.
After the ball-tampering saga of last year, they had lost 11 and won two of the 13 ODIs they played up to the second match of the series in India.
Their record has been played 10 and won 10 since, including a tight win against the West Indies on June 6. They were in a spot of bother at different stages of that game before eking out a 15-run win.
Finch and his team head into the India game not just high on belief, but also with the confidence that comes from clinching close games.
“Winning close ones, especially early on, is really important, to keep the momentum going. The weather could play a part at some point. So to be able to get two points where we didn't play our best cricket was crucial,” the Australia skipper said on Saturday.
In the period when they were not doing well, batting had been Australia’s main problem. In the absence of Smith and Warner, they were no match against England in England last year and lost an ODI series 5-0.
Usman Khawaja played a part in their revival in India and things are looking normal again with batsmen ready to back the bowlers, who are among the best in the world when fit. In the last match against the West Indies, they conceded around three per over in four of the last 10.
“I think we've always believed that we've got a side that can win the World Cup. Even when we didn't and we started this run of form or run of wins, I guess, from the third game in India, we still believed that we had the side then that could do it. And we feel as though this (the win against the West Indies) has just boosted that,” said Finch.
So when India take the field on Sunday, they will know that the side facing them is very different from the lot they beat in Australia earlier this year.
“You see in this team the traits that make them world champions. They know how to come out on top when the going gets tough. They will be a threat to any side in this World Cup,” said India vice-captain Rohit Sharma.