World Cup 2015: Australia Wary of India

Australia start the 2015 World Cup as the overwhelming favourites. Unsurprisingly, as they are the number one ODI side in the world at the moment. Their dominance in the recently concluded tri-series, a tournament that also featured India and England, was ample proof that the hosts have hit peak form at the right time. Yet, if there is one team that the hosts are wary off, it is India.

Team India's recent form notwithstanding, Australian captain Michael Clarke on Friday spoke about why the defending champions are still the team to beat. (World Cup: Aaron Finch Unfazed by Size of Boundaries)

"The Indian team has done really well under MS Dhoni's leadership. He is a match winner. Also, they have a lot of talented players in their ranks. I have no doubt India would be the one of toughest opponents in the tournament." (India May Get Bowling Tips From Brett Lee in the Future)

Though if one were to take a closer look at India's recent performances, where they've failed to win a single game in their two and a half months in Australia, Clarke's statement may seem like hyperbole to some. The critics also argue that apart from poor form, the fact that a majority of Indian players have been away from home for over 140 days, may also have an adverse affect on their World Cup campaign. Parallels are already being drawn between the current Indian team and the 1992 team that crashed out of the World Cup in round 1, following a long and disappointing test series in Australia. (World Cup: Moises Henriques Confident of Replacing James Faulkner if Needed)

But, Michael Clarke disagrees- "I think having played a considerable amount of cricket in Australia in the last few months will actually help the Indian side. Also, India have a lot of fan support here in Australia and that will benefit them too."

During his brief interaction with the media in Adelaide on Friday, the Australian captain also added that according to him it is the team that wins the World Cup that is the best team in the world and not the one that is on top of the ICC ODI rankings. India are the World Cup holders and maybe that explains why Clarke won't write them off.