Adelaide, March 20 (IANS) After beating Pakistan quite convincingly in a cricket World Cup quarter-final at the Adelaide Oval here on Friday, Australia skipper Michael Clarke said they need to assess the strengths and weaknesses of India whom they face in the semi-final of the tournament.
Australia will lock horns against the defending champions at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on March 26.
“I think obviously India are a completely different opposition to Pakistan. They have different strengths. Also different weaknesses as well. So we need to assess them," Clarke said at the post-match media conference.
"They're obviously playing a lot better than they were throughout the start of the summer. And I said that leading into the World Cup, that I thought India were going to be extremely tough team to beat."
The skipper also looked wary of the fact that the Indians now were accustomed to the conditions in Australia after being here for over four months and it would certainly be a challenge to overcome them come Thursday.
“They've spent so much time in Australia, they know the conditions quite well. The game on Thursday is going to certainly be a challenge, and we -- I say it all the time, but we're definitely going to have to be at our best to beat them.”
Asked if going into the semi-finals without quality spinners can dampen their chances against India, Clarke said he hopes it will not but asserted he is satisfied with the spinning armoury at his disposal.
“I hope not. I think -- we obviously didn't pick Xavier Doherty today, but he's been a really good spinner for the Australian team over the last few years. So if the wicket does spin, I think the selectors have that option," he said.
“Obviously we have Glenn Maxwell, who bowled tonight and picked up a couple of wickets. Hopefully I can bowl a few overs, and we've got Steve Smith as well," he added.
"We've got spinning options, but we'll wait and see what the pitch is like. However,I am extremely satisfied with the options I have,” concluded Clarke.
Ameesha Patel: Ameesha did not react to Lara-Bipasha's negative comment, and said- I had a good relationship with them
Bollywood's well-known actress Ameesha Patel is in constant discussion about her upcoming film 'Gadar 2'. About 22 years ago today, Ameesha ruled the hearts of the audience by becoming Sakina from the
This brilliant smartphone of Redmi will soon enter the Indian market, the company released the teaser
New Delhi: Smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi is preparing to launch its new smartphone soon. The company has informed about this by releasing the teaser of the mobile. Xiaomi India MD Manu Kumar Jain has
Cyclone Sitrang: More than 1100 people from 83 villages were affected by Cyclone Sitrang in Assam, with heavy damage to crops
The situation in Assam remains worrying due to Cyclone Sitrang. Here more than 1100 people from about 83 villages have been affected due to the cyclone. A large number of houses have been damaged in
Senator Schumer, standing in favour of India, told Biden - separate India's share in 80 million doses of vaccine
US Senator Chuck Schumer has requested President Joe Biden to set aside India's share in the 80 million doses of vaccine being given to various countries. In a letter to Biden, Schumer said that India
ICC vs PCB: Pakistan wants to reverse its decision to boycott matches against India, but has laid down these three major conditions.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is currently being held in India and Sri Lanka, with a total of six matches played so far. The Indian team started their campaign with a victory against the USA, but all eyes
Baba Siddique: 'Salman Khan was Bishnoi's target, NCP leader...', police makes big revelation in Baba Siddique murder case
Mumbai Police on Monday filed a chargesheet in the murder case of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddiqui. Many shocking revelations have been made in it. Police claim that Bollywood
Ruchira became India's first female envoy to UN: Sneha Dubey was furious at Pakistan, Eenam Gambhir had said- Terristan
Ruchira Kamboj has taken over as the new Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations. She will replace TS Tirumurti. Ruchira has become the first permanent woman ambassador of the Joint
Bumper earnings of companies from expensive oil: We got record inflation from petrol-diesel, but Indian Oil earned a record profit of 24 thousand crores
The financial results of the country's largest oil company Indian Oil, which came on Tuesday, show that the company has broken all records for profits. IndianOil made a profit of Rs 6,021.88 crore in
4-5 times deadlier than Omicron Delta: 16 lakh cases are expected daily at the peak of the third wave, there will be 40 thousand hospitalizations every day
Omicron's entry in India took place on 2nd December and within a month, the cases have increased to more than 1700. Due to this, the rate of corona infection in the country has increased almost three
Money Laundering Case: Jacqueline Fernandez exposed in ED's interrogation; Said- I and Sukesh were in relation, the conman said - the actress has nothing to do with the case
New revelations are being made every day in the money laundering case of conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Now recently in ED's interrogation, Jacqueline revealed that Sukesh and I were in a relationship.
