Australia have edge over India: Josh Hazlewood

Sydney, March 21:

Pacer Josh Hazlewood on Saturday said their unbeaten record against India this Australian summer means they ‘have the wood’ over Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side ahead of their semi-final showdown at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) here on Thursday.

India had a disappointing Test series Down Under, losing 0-2. The visitors failed to win even a single match in the following One-Day International (ODI) tri-series, also involving England, in the lead-up to the World Cup.

The Asian powerhouse were also defeated in the World Cup warm-up match on February 8 in Adelaide, where they were thrashed by 106 runs.

“We’ve obviously played them a lot this summer in both formats so I would say we have the wood over them a little bit in that regard, winning the tri-series. We’ll be doing our homework, doing our normal thing and getting prepared,” Hazlewood was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia (CA).

“(But a) lot of their players have been playing for a while so they’ve got that experience in big tournaments, and they really peak at the right time. They’ll be really tough work on Thursday.”

Hazlewood was named man-of-the-match in Friday’s quarter-final against Pakistan. The pacer hopes that his 4/35 shows the team selectors his importance before picking the playing XI against India.

“I hope I have gone a long way to doing that (cementing his spot). But you never know with conditions at the SCG, they could be dry and suit a spinner,” he said.

Spinner Xavier Doherty is also in line for a recall considering the turning wicket here. IANS