SYDNEY — India's team director Ravi Shastri dismissed the tri-series in Australia preceding the World Cup as a complete waste of time and energy for a side defending their world title in less than two weeks' time. The former India captain seemed to have a point as the team, since landing in Australia in late November, could not register a single win in the four-Test series and finished the subsequent tri-series, also involving England, in similar manner. Certainly not an ideal build-up for a team bidding to join West Indies and Australia as the third nation to successfully defend its World Cup title. But what India gained, and Shastri overlooked that point, is valuable knowledge of local conditions in the four months which made it the World Cup's best prepared team outside the co-hosts. Its pace bowlers, a revelation at the World Cup, figured out the right length they need to bowl to succeed and the batsmen went into the tournament knowing what kind of bounce to expect on surfaces vastly different from the ones back home. Hardly a surprise that while three of their neighbors — Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — crashed out in the quarterfinals, India remains the only team from the sub-continent to make the last four, and make it in style. It has looked a completely transformed side under Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India became the first team to claim 70 wickets in seven matches and remained unbeaten going into Thursday's semifinal against Australia. “They've just played a lot more cricket here and getting used to the lengths you need to bowl,” Australia opener Aaron Finch said Tuesday. “It's no rocket science, they're bowling well, they're batting well, they're going to be tough to beat,” the right-hander said. Dhoni too admitted the tri-series served an important purpose for his side. “We wanted to give players more opportunities in the tri-series to some extent,” he said after the group stage victory against South Africa. “We pushed for the wins, but we were not able to get that. “But at the same time we knew with the World Cup right at the corner, this tournament was much more important to us and we had to make sure people with niggles, they don't come into the World Cup.” However for Steve Smith, India still bears the scars of the mauling it suffered at the hands of Australia at the start of its tour Down Under. From the start of December to early February, however, Australia simply dominated India, winning two and drawing two tests and then beating them comfortably in a tri-series match and World Cup warm-up. “I think we'll have a little edge over them with a few scars from the matches throughout the Summer, they didn't beat us once,” Smith told reporters at the SCG Tuesday. “So I think that's going to be playing on their mind a little bit. “They've been here for a long time now, they've been able to get accustomed to the conditions, the bounce we've got here compared to back in India. “Other than that, I just think we need to do what we can do well, to control that. If we do, I've no doubt it's going to be a competitive game for us.” Smith's own spectacular form with the bat played a large part in Australia's supremacy in the Test arena, the 25-year-old scoring centuries in all four matches and 769 runs in total. He has been less prolific in the World Cup, scoring 241 runs in six matches, but showed great maturity in his innings of 65 to help Australia to victory in the quarterfinal against Pakistan. Smith feels his elevation up the batting order to No. 3 works well for the team, especially against spin-reliant sides from the sub-continent. “I have always said I enjoy batting at three and with (Michael Clarke) at four we just like to take our time and knock the ball around,” he added. “That will work well against India with their spinners bowling quite a few overs in the middle. “We can knock them around and give our power-hitters the last 15 overs to come in and do what they did against Sri Lanka, I think that is our blue print to ideally perform.” Doherty dilemma With two confident teams going head-to-head in a blockbuster World Cup semi-final on Thursday, it could be the tiniest misjudgement, the smallest detail that decides whether Australia or India emerge triumphant. Disregarding perhaps only the toss, Australia's biggest decision this week is likely to be whether to include spinner Xavier Doherty in its side to face the world champion. Much, of course, will depend on the wicket, which Tuesday afternoon was covered by a huge white blanket as rain tumbled down on the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). If, as coach Darren Lehmann expects, it is a similar track to that on which Australia beat Sri Lanka in the pool stage, Doherty's contribution might be restricted to handing out water bottles. If, however, it is more similar to the wicket on which spinners Imran Tahir and JP Duminy took seven wickets in South Africa's quarterfinal win over the Sri Lankans last week, Doherty might be set for his second start. The trouble for Australia is that despite the SCG's tradition for offering turn, it is not always that easy to tell in advance whether a track will or not. — Agencies
