WORLD CUP - SEMI FINALS 2015 - A PREVIEW

RSA would pray not to Chase

New Zealand would definitely have an edge stepping into the toss tomorrow, as they are playing the match in their own backyard, however the toss is crucial only for South africans to put heavy runs on the board and knock New Zealand out of the cup. Hashim Amla is due for a big one and Semi final match would be a perfect stage. Bolt and Southee is very crucial tomorrow to set it up for NZ. Miller and Duminy would have good memories, after scoring Individual Hundreds in New Zealand conditions in this world cup campaign.

New Zealand Batsmen would try to unsettle Imran Tahir, as that would open up effective scoring options during the middle overs, as AB De Villiers would bowl himself, J P Duminy and Tahir for the quota of 20 overs. Effectively Ross Taylor would be the one, who would take these bowlers on. Martin Guptill would definitely start from 237 not out, as hundreds in previous 2 innings would be an ideal mindset to take on any bowlers at international level. Will Dale Steyn and Mornie Morkel stop him and Brendan Macullum ? One has to wait and watch.

Both the sides are great fielding team and the match would be electrifying as spectators would be in for a visual treat. No doubt, the captain of both the sides would step it up on the day of the semi finals, there would not be easy runs to take away for both sides. Daniel Vettori is very crucial in the middle overs and Macullum has used him wisely through out the tournament, sad for Vettori that he would not have the luxury to toss it up to induce false shots, as the grounds would be small in New Zealand. His experience along with the skipper would come in handy in this crucial knock out game.

Kane Williamson for New Zealand and Faf du Plessis for RSA are vital for their team's success, as they would try to hold one end and allow others to play around them. New Zealand would attack, attack and still attack with their 5 complete bowlers, while South Africans would try to get the maximum out of 5th bowler and hope not to leak too many runs from Duminy, Tahir and AB De Villiers. New Zealand would try not to repeat the mistake of Sri Lankan team, wherein they would give away 5 or more wickets to the spinners.

All in All, we have a great Semi Final on the cards and it would be a High scoring game....

MS DHONI vs MICHAEL CLARKE

Battle within Battle is a term that fits for the India Australia Clash in the World cup Semi finals 2015.

R Ashwin vs Glenn Maxwell                                         

 R Ashwin vs David Warner                Mohammad Shami vs  Michael Clarke

Mitchell Johnson vs Suresh Raina                                        

 Mitchell Starc vs Virat Kohli                Mitchell Starc vs Rohit Sharma

Ravindra Jadeja vs Steve Smith                                      

Its not only the battle that would be expected by viewers, but the wishlist of respective captains, who would pray that his team member wins this mini-battle to go home with a win. Aaron Finch can be deadly at the top, when he is on song. One might see Dhoni experimenting with Ashwin just to unsettle David Warner and would retain him to purchase Maxwell later in the innings. Michael Clarke and Shane Watson along with Steve Smith would hold their wickets tight, to leave it for Maxwell, Faulkner and Haddin to accelerate at the end. Both the teams have list of players in the playing eleven, whose role clarity is clearly defined by their captains.

Similarly for Indians, Shikhar Dhawan can be deadly at the top, while Rohit would consolidate for the partnership to get going. India have a better Right-Left Combination which gets evenly balanced throughout the 50 overs. This factor would augur well for Indians, just like the way it has helped them throughout the tournament.

A mere right-left combination alone would not work well, but if that factor is complimented by the talent of the players involved, then the result would be doubly effective. Suresh Raina and Dhoni would be crucial for Indians, if its a run chase and Kohli loves the battle in the big stage.

Indian bowlers would come hard at Australians and Dhoni's influence on them would make them stay grounded, even if there is a mini collapse from Australian batting unit. Mohit Sharma's role is even more important in this encounter, as Aussie might target him and throw Dhoni off balance with his strategy. Umesh Yadav is also in good rhythm and it becomes all the more important for him to chip in with wickets, thereby collective effort is restored. Indian Batsmen would target John Haselwood or Xavier Doherty, whoever is picked by Australian team in Sydney.

Shane Watson, as a pure All-Rounder provides the back-up for Clarke's bowling unit, whereas Dhoni would rely on Suresh Raina to chip in with useful overs in the middle. Both the teams have some great fielders and they would be putting solid effort to back their bowlers.

There is a good chance that India and New Zealand would continue their winning streak and all their past efforts would be cherished by their fans, if they proceed to the finals and fight it out.