Michael Hussey may have missed playing in the World Cup due to injury, but he has luckily recovered in time to clinch a place back in the team
This dashing Australian batsman is eager to show his class as time and again he has upset India's plans with his stupendous knocks.
Hussey, who has replaced injured Doug Bollinger in the squad, spoke at length about his form and his team's plans against India. Excerpts:
Question: Personally, how does it feel to be playing in the quarter-finals, especially after returning to the team followingan injury?
MICHAEL HUSSEY: Frankly, I am very excited to get back into the team and make it to the quarter-finals. It is doubly special because the match happens to be against India. It's going to be a great spectacle for the fans in a packed stadium. It's a blockbuster match. We are all looking forward to it.
How confident is the team despite the absence of your star players of the past?
We go into this game with a lot of confidence because we have played well against India in Indian conditions in the last few years and won. I think we have a great chance.
But the general feeling is that Australians are no longer unbeatable. What do you feel about it?
I don't really care whether Australia are no longer unbeatable. We have performed very well in the sub-continent over the last few years. We have also won quite a few series here. So we carry a lot of confidence with us because we have played well against India in Indian conditions in the last few years and won.
So what will be your plan against India?
We have to put pressure on all the Indian batsmen since they are fantastic players. We have done well against India in the past in One-day cricket, and are sure that will continue. The plan is to go hard for every single run. We all know it is going to be a tight game, but we have to put pressure on the Indians. We have to really go hard and get as many runs and put the Indian fielders under pressure.
What do you aim to gain if you beat India in the quarterfinals?
First of all this is a huge game for us. Teams who win their quarterfinals can carry that confidence into the semifinals. We believe that if we beat India, we will have a great chance to go on to win the tournament.
What will be the role of your pacers?
They would like to be aggressive, take quick wickets and baffle the Indian batsmen with some short stuff.
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