All you need to know about Australia vs India World Cup semi-final

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. [caption id=“attachment_2172373” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File picture of Virat Kohli (R). PTI[/caption] But 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. 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. Read the full preview here. Ten match facts for Thursday’s World Cup semi-final between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground - 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 record 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 who can make a difference 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. AFP