Australia captain Michael Clarke won the toss and chose to bat first in their World Cup semi-final against India at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday.
Both sides were unchanged for the contest to decide who meets the other co-hosts New Zealand in Sunday's final at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The match pits four-times champions Australia, the top-ranked team in one-day cricket, against title holders India, the sport's dominant financial power.
The ground was bathed in sunshine under blue skies at the toss and early indications are, as has been predicted, Indian fans will outnumber locals in the capacity crowd.
Australia were unchanged for the first time in the tournament after deciding to retain a third specialist pace bowler in Josh Hazlewood, who took 4-35 in the six-wicket quarter-final victory over Pakistan.
Despite the SCG's reputation for offering some turn for the slow bowlers, the Australian selectors decided against bringing in specialist spinner Xavier Doherty.
"I think the wicket looks great. I think it will be pretty good for both innings, runs on the board is the reason why we have gone for batting first," said Clarke, adding that Hazlewood's selection was the right one.
"I thought he was exceptional, I think he grabbed his opportunity with both hands and the selectors feel this is the right XI for these conditions and I'm confident, if we play our best cricket, we can have success here today"
India have remained unchanged throughout the tournament except when forced by injury to replace paceman Mohammed Shami and they retained the same team that beat Bangladesh by 109 runs in the quarter-finals.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said India would also have batted first but he was not that concerned to lose the toss.
"Toss is something beyond our control so you have to accept it," he said. "Yes we would have also batted first. Everyone is fit so that gives us the ability of playing the same squad."
When asked about the in-form Rohit Sharma, Dhoni said: "I think each and everyone, in a game like this, has to be at your best. If you can get a good start make sure you score big.
"It is something that we always emphasise, partnership is more important than individual performance so that has been the key for us throughout this world cup."
Australia - Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steven Smith, Michael Clarke (captain), Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood
India - Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav.
Preview
India will go into Thursday's World Cup semi-final against Australia in Sydney confident of success irrespective of whether the wicket took turn or assisted fast bowlers, opener Rohit Sharma said.
The wear and tear at the end of a long season was evident when the covers were removed at the Sydney Cricket ground on Wednesday, revealing a dry, brown pitch that would gladden India more than their rivals.
South African spinners Imran Tahir and JP Duminy shared seven wickets to bowl out Sri Lanka for 133 in the quarter-final at the SCG last week, setting up a nine-wicket win for the Proteas.
But the bat dominated the ball in previous World Cup games at the venue, with Australia piling up 376 for nine against Sri Lanka and South Africa smashing 408 for five off the West Indies' attack.
Australian coach Darren Lehmann predicted a high-scoring game, but Sharma said India were not sweating over the nature of the wicket.
"It does not worry us what sort of wicket we get because we are confident of doing well on any surface," said Sharma, who scored a century in the quarter-final against Bangladesh in Melbourne.
"We have taken 70 wickets in seven matches, bowled out the opposition every time, so we know what we need to do.
"Our seamers have done well and so have the spinners. We are ready for anything that we get."
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men have confounded critics by recovering from a winless bilateral tour of Australia before the World Cup to brush aside all-comers in the tournament.
Starting with two wins against Pakistan and South Africa, India won all six group matches to top Pool B and then downed spirited Bangladesh by 109 runs in the quarter-finals.
Besides bowling out their rivals in all games, India have piled up 300-plus scores every time they have batted first.
India have beaten Australia just once in 35 years in a one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground and the hosts have won all six semi-finals they have contested since the inaugural event in 1975.
But Sharma, who hit a record one-day score of 264 against Sri Lanka last year, said the past will have no bearing on Thursday's result and insisted Australia were not unbeatable.
"Of course we can win, no question about it," he said.
"Australia is a good batting side but they struggled against good quality bowling when they played New Zealand or Pakistan.
"They have also bowled well, but then we have batted well too."
Australia were shot out for 151 by New Zealand in Auckland and it was only a six-wicket haul by Mitchell Starc that saw the Black Caps lose nine wickets before surpassing the modest target.
Pakistan's left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz had the Australian batsmen hopping with short-pitched deliveries in the quarter-final in Adelaide before the hosts won by six wickets.
Sharma, who had heated on-field exchanges with David Warner during the preceding tri-series, said he expected a fiery contest between two strong rivals.
"Look a bit of sledging is okay as long as boundaries are not crossed," he said. "The Indian team will not cross the line, but we will not back down either."
Law of averages
Defending champions India will hope the law of averages does not catch up with them when they clash with hosts Australia in a widely-anticipated World Cup semi-final in Sydney on Thursday.
India have beaten Australia just once in 35 years in a one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground when a Sachin Tendulkar century helped them win the first of the three-match tri-series final in 2008.
India now confront a side that has won seven of their 10 World Cup meetings against them, although Dhoni's men secured a five-wicket win in the quarter-final at home in Ahmedabad four years ago.
Four-time champions Australia have won all six semi-finals they have appeared in since the inaugural event in 1975, but India will consider the SCG as the best venue to halt that record.
Groundsman Tom Parker has kept both teams guessing on the nature of the pitch he will unveil for the semi-final, but the wear and tear at the end of a long season indicates spin-friendly conditions.
South African spinners Imran Tahir and JP Duminy shared seven wickets to bowl out Sri Lanka for 133 in the quarter-final at the SCG last week, setting up a nine-wicket win for the Proteas.
Australian coach Darren Lehmann expected a wicket similar to the one his team got for the match against Sri Lanka and predicted a high-scoring encounter.
"I think the pitch will be very similar to the one we used in the game against Sri Lanka when almost 700 runs were scored, so I think this will be another high-scoring affair," Lehmann wrote on the official Cricket Australia website www.cricket.com.au.
"But finals seem to have a way of working out differently sometimes. So even if the pitch is a belter, you have to do the basics well enough to produce a high score. And then bowl well enough to defend it."
Lehmann felt that constant meetings with India over the summer would "add an extra element to what already looms as an enthralling contest."
"India are really starting to gain some confidence on the back of some good performances since the tournament began, but we know them inside out - just as they do us.
"Everyone in the Australia squad is excited that we've reached the final week of the World Cup and are now within striking distance of a goal that we set ourselves more than a year ago."
With organisers estimating that 70 per cent of the tickets have been picked up by Indian fans, Australia would feel as if they were playing an away game on their own soil.
India will once again bank on a sound start from openers Shikhar Dhawan, who has 367 runs in the tournament with two centuries, and Rohit Sharma, who hit 137 against Bangladesh.
But it will be Virat Kohli the Australians will be wary of after the elegant right-hander hit four centuries in the preceding four-Test series, including 147 and 46 at the SCG.
Kohli's form dipped after a match-winning century against Pakistan, but Dhoni was confident of his star batsman coming good when it mattered.
"A big one is just around the corner because big players always score in big games," Dhoni said of Kohli.
India's pace trio of Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma have claimed 42 wickets between them, but it will be the off-spin of Ravichandran Ashwin that Dhoni will turn to if the pitch takes turn.
The winner of Thursday's match will face New Zealand in the final in Melbourne on Sunday.
Johnson leads battle cry
Australia captain Michael Clarke expects temperamental opener David Warner to be on his best behaviour in Thursday's World Cup semi-final against India, but Mitchell Johnson is ready to step up the sledging war.
Warner, who has already been warned twice for on-field verbal sledges, faces suspension from the final, should Australia qualify, if he is found guilty of another misdemeanour at the Sydney Cricket ground.
"David will be fine," Clarke told reporters on Wednesday. "He knows the rules, as we all do, and his rules are no different than the rest of ours."
But fast bowler Johnson said he did not expect any let up in Australia's aggressive approach, and was even willing to take the lead if Warner did not sledge.
"I heard Davey (Warner) say he was not going to get involved in all that stuff," Johnson told Fox Sports. "Someone has got to do it and I think I might put my hand up. It's part of the game."
The two teams have shared a tumultuous relationship both on and off the field in recent years and another flare-up cannot be ruled out in a potentially explosive semi-final.
The bad blood showed up during India's Test and one-day series in Australia prior to the World Cup when heated on-field exchanges led to several players being penalised.
Three Indian players, Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, and Australian left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc were charged for a breach of the International Cricket Council's Code of Conduct.
Warner was reported both in the Test and one-day series, and was publicly told off by Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland to "stop looking for trouble."
Meanwhile, Clarke did not expect the SCG wicket to throw up any surprises, saying it will prove to be a good cricketing pitch.
There is growing speculation that the dry, brown wicket will suit India more than the home team's fast bowlers, but Clarke appeared unconcerned by the pre-match talk.
"I think the SCG in general is a really good wicket for both both batting and bowling," the Australian skipper said.
"The fast bowlers will hopefully get a little swing and a little bounce out of that wicket and then as always spin will play a part.
"But the SCG is as good a place to bat as anywhere in the world. I am confident this game will be no different."
Toss
Clarke also rubbished suggestions that the toss will prove crucial since batting first could be an advantage on the wearing end-of-the-season pitch.
"Whatever you do first, you have to do it well," he said. "I don't think it (the toss) matters too much in a one-day game.
"Sometimes wickets in Australia can be better to bat on second, because you get a little bit of dew, and the wicket and the outfield quicken up.
"Then there is the other side that people always talk about - runs on the board in big games. We are going to do both at some stage, we just have to do them well."
Australia will start as favourites, but Clarke insisted the expectations from home fans will not put undue pressure on his side.
"Expectations will be there because we are the number one one-day team in the world," he said. "The reason you have that expectation on you is because you've performed."
Asked if there will be more Indian fans at the ground, Clarke said: "That's a no-brainer. I think we know they will.
"But that's fine. We have played in India a number of times and they out-support us there as well. It's a fantastic feeling to have the opportunity to play in your own backyard and to play in Australia."
Squads and officials:
Australia (from): Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey, David Warner, Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Steven Smith, Brad Haddin (wkt), Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty
India (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt/wkt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akshar Patel, Mohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Stuart Binny
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI), Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (RSA)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)
Weather forecast: Fine. Maximum temperature: 26 Celsius
Ten match facts:
- This is the first World Cup semi-final between these teams. Previous World Cup knockout stage matches have produced one win apiece (Australia won the 2003 final, India a quarter-final in 2011).
- Australia have won their last 12 completed one-day Internationals on home soil.
- Aaron Finch has been the subject of six lbw appeals in the tournament, more than anyone else - his dismissal against Pakistan was the first time in 28 dismissals that he fell lbw.
- Shane Watson is one of two players to score at least 500 World Cup runs at an average of at least 50 and a strike rate of 100+ (AB de Villiers is the other).
- Glenn Maxwell has scored 77 runs from the 54 balls Ravichandran Ashwin has bowled to him in ODIs, hitting four fours and seven sixes. He has been dismissed once.
- Maxwell (30.5%) has the lowest dot ball percentage in the tournament, minimum 50 balls faced - he has hit 301 runs from 164 balls.
- Rohit Sharma has hit 124 runs from the 108 balls James Faulkner has bowled to him in ODIs, without being dismissed.
- Mohammed Shami (69%) and Mitchell Starc (68%) have the two highest dot ball percentages in the tournament, minimum 50 balls bowled.
- Mitchell Starc has the lowest ODI bowling average (17.4) and strike rate (22.5) in Australia, minimum 50 wickets taken.
- Shane Watson has reached 50 in three of his last four, and four of his last six, ODI innings at Sydney.
Head-to-head:
OVERALL
Played: 117
Australia wins: 67
India wins: 40
Tied: 0
No result: 10
First meeting:
Dec 6, 1980 Melbourne India won by 66 runs
Last 10 meetings:
Feb 19, 2012: Brisbane Australia won by 110 runs
Feb 26, 2012: Sydney Australia won by 87 runs
Oct 13, 2013: Pune Australia won by 72 runs
Oct 16, 2013: Jaipur India won by nine wickets
Oct 19, 2013: Chandigarh Australia won by four wickets
Oct 23, 2013: Ranchi No result
Oct 30, 2013: Nagpur India won by six wickets
Nov 02, 2013: Bangalore India won by 57 runs
Jan 18, 2015: Melbourne Australia won by four wickets
Jan 26, 2015: Sydney No result
WORLD CUP
Played: 10
Australia wins: 7
India wins: 3
June 13, 1983: Nottingham Australia won by 162 runs
June 20, 1983: Chelmsford India won by 118 runs
Oct 09, 1987: Chennai Australia won by one run
Oct 27, 1987: New Delhi India won by 56 runs
Mar 01, 1992: Brisbane Australia won by one run
Feb 27, 1996: Mumbai Australia won by 16 runs
June 04, 1999: The Oval Australia won by 77 runs
Feb 15, 2003: Centurion Australia won by nine wickets
Mar 23, 2003: Johannesburg Australia won by 125 runs
Mar 24, 2011: Ahmedabad India won by five wickets
Key men:
Australia
Glenn Maxwell
Unconventional shot-maker and part-time off-spinner known as the 'Big Show' who has bolstered Australia's innings with some spectacular late hitting in the tournament.
Maxwell has hit three half-centuries in five knocks, including the second-fastest World Cup century with 102 off 53 balls against Sri Lanka in the pool stages at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
His spin might come in handy on a generally turning SCG pitch, but it is his quirky batting - replete with reverse-sweeps, flicks and powerful hitting - that may prove hard for India to contain if he gets off to a start.
India
Ravichandran Ashwin
If the SCG pitch assists spin, as feared by the Australians, Ashwin is the man India will turn to for a match-winning performance. The game is being played on the same pitch where South African spinners Imran Tahir and JP Duminy shared seven wickets in a quarter-final win against Sri Lanka, a team reputed to be comfortable against the turning ball.
Ashwin has been one of India's star performers in the tournament, especially with his ability to slow down the run-rate with his accurate off-spin.
He claimed four for 25 against the United Arab Emirates in Perth but a more impressive performance was his return of three for 41 against South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground that caught the Proteas on the hop.
The only time Ashwin proved expensive at this World Cup was when he conceded 75 runs in 10 overs against Zimbabwe at Auckland.
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India vs Australia World Cup semifinal 'live' cricket score: Australia 124-1, 24 overs... Finch survives
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