Australia ends India's World Cup dream run

If Eden Park was a theatre of sporting drama with New Zealand and South Africa battling on as though their very existence was depended upon that win, Sydney Cricket Ground paled miserably in comparison as Australia swatted aside India to ensure the final will be played between the two hosts of the World Cup.

India had been unbeaten in the tournament, while Australia had gathered steam after their defeat to the Kiwis in the second match. Australia, of course, are always dangerous at home but India not only had acquired a fair knowledge of the conditions but also had adapted well as is evident in their seven wins. And as such, the second semifinal between India and Australia appeared to have all the trappings of a potential humdinger but unfortunately it turned out to be a lopsided affair.  

After muscling their way to 328 for seven, Australian bowlers proved too hot to handle for the much-vaunted Indian batting line-up which folded up for a modest 233 in 46.5 overs thus conceding a 95-run win here on Thursday in front a capacity crowd. The result was not a popular outcome as more than 70 per cent of the spectators were cheering for the Men in Blue.

Australia were powered by a Steven Smith special (105, 93b, 11x4, 2x6), the man who doesn’t seem to put a foot wrong at this moment.

He was ably aided by Aaron Finch (81, 116b, 7x4, 1x6) and their 182-run association for the second wicket took the sting out of the Indian attack that until this stage had bowled out all its opponents.

Their bouncers didn’t have the same effect while they seemed to have forgotten the lengths they had been hitting previously. They gave away, as Smith pointed out later, too many freebies and let the pressure go after David Warner’s early dismissal.    

That said, on a good batting wicket, the total was a par one but the Australian quicks bowled with great intensity and aggression to regularly chip away at Indian batsmen despite a promising start by their openers. Josh Hazlewood drew the first blood when Shikhar Dhawan tried to be too adventurous. Mitchell Johnson scythed through the heart of Indian batting by dismissing an out-of-sorts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, while James Faulkner ran through the tail to complete a crushing win.

India needed someone like Virat or Rohit to soak up the pressure and bat deep into the innings to have any chance of chasing the target but the Australian quicks were too good for them on the day.