World Cup 2019: Five Australian players India should watch out

Team India started their World Cup 2019 campaign at Southampton with a magnificent win over South Africa by 6 wickets. They outclassed the Proteas in every department and handed them a third consecutive defeat in the tournament.

The bowlers played a huge role in the first game for India as they bundled out South Africa for just 227 runs. Among the batsmen, Rohit Sharma was the standout, as he almost single-handedly took India to the target with a superb ton. Team India showed a good all-round performance in their first match of the World Cup 2019.

Now India will face Australia on June 9 at Kennington Oval, London in their second match of the tournament. Australia is 5th ranked team currently in the ICC ODI rankings but at the World Cup tournaments, they are always a top team. They have already won their first two games of the tournament and are looking really good as a team.

In the light of India vs Australia clash, let's have a look at five players who could have a massive impact against India.

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#5 Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins is no stranger to India as they saw plenty of him during the tour Down Under. He was the lone fighter on that series for the Australian team as India won the Test and ODI series at their own backyard.

Cummins made his debut at the age of 18 years against South Africa. He was immediately a teen sensation after picking up seven wickets in his first ever Test match. Now he is a much more matured cricketer who can bowl at real speed and also comes in handy with the bat.

The tall, lanky fast bowler also enjoys a healthy record against India. In 11 matches against the Men in Blue, he has picked 18 wickets at an average of 27.33 and his best figure is 5/70. Kagiso Rabada troubled the Indian top order at Southampton and Cummins who is also a similar bowler can dismantle the top order if there is a little help from the pitch.

#4 Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell is a destructive middle order batsman who only knows to bat aggressively. He is one of the main threats to the bowling line-up because he plays spin bowling very well which is the main weapon of the Indian attack in the middle overs.

Maxwell is not the most consistent cricketer in world cricket. But when he plays well he most often wins the match for his team. He averages 33.4 in ODI cricket but he strikes at an impressive rate of 122.1. His stats against India is also very good, scoring 718 runs at an average of 34.19 with the strike rate of 128.21.

Maxwell is a 360-degree player who can score all around the ground. His sweeps, reverse sweep comes in real handy against the spinners. He is a superb fielder and with the ball in hand he chips in with wickets every now and then.

All in all, Maxwell is a complete cricketer but not a consistent one. But he is a dangerous batsman who can turn around the match with some brutal hittings. So he is one of the Aussie players to watch out for in the match.

#3 Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc is one of the top fast bowlers going around in world cricket at the moment. He has been in and out of international cricket due to injury issues hence his form hasn't been consistent. But India will definitely not underestimate his threat due to his quality.

Over the years we have seen that Indian batsmen don't play left-arm seamers that well. The trio of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli has struggled in the past against left-arm fast bowlers. The Indian top order has to be extra cautious against Starc with the new ball.

Starc seems to have found his form back as in the last match against West Indies he picked up a 5-fer. He bowled brilliantly with the new ball, middle overs and at the depth which prevented the Windies from reaching the target of 289.

He bowls mostly in the higher 140s and at that speed he swings the ball which makes him a dangerous bowler. His inswinging yorkers at the depth overs are also very good. So Starc definitely possesses a real threat to the Indian batting line-up on Sunday.

#2 David Warner

David Warner

David Warner has always been a great challenge for the Indian bowlers over the years. He is an aggressive opening batsman who looks to take on the opposition from the first ball itself. His ability to play spin very well makes him more than effective against India.

The record of Warner against India is superb in all three formats of the game. In 15 ODI matches against the Men in Blue, he has scored 636 runs at an average of 45.43 with two centuries and three half-centuries.

David Warner was suspended for one year due to ball tampering issues but since his comeback into cricket, he has been in an awesome touch. He has played superbly in the IPL 2019 and continued the form to international cricket.

Warner has already made a mark in the World Cup 2019 with an 89 not-out in the first match against Afghanistan. He batted with patiently and chased down the low total easily at the end. In the previous match against West Indies, he couldn't do much, but against India, he always brings his A game.

#1 Steve Smith

Steve Smith

Steve Smith is one of the best batsmen in world cricket at the moment. There is always a comparison between him and Indian skipper Virat Kohli about the no.1 batsman in the world. Both the players like to perform at their best whenever they face each other.

Smith is back into international cricket after a one year ban along with David Warner. But the way he is playing it didn't look like he missed one year of international cricket. He played in the IPL 2019 before making an international comeback and looked in some form for his franchise Rajasthan Royals.

Smith has immediately carried his good IPL form into international cricket. He couldn't do much in his first match of the World Cup 2019 but in the second match against West Indies, he showed his class.

Australia was down and out at 79 for 5 in the previous match against the Windies. Smith then batted brilliantly and rescued the situation and helped his team reach a total of 288 which proved to be a winning one. He batted sensibly and made 73 off 103 balls.

Smith's record is always impressive against India in ODIs and Test cricket. He likes batting against the Indian bowlers very much and seems to never get out in some matches. In 14 ODI matches against India, he has scored 609 runs at an average of 50.75 with two centuries and three half-centuries.