WC 2015 IND vs AUS: ‘The game on Thursday is going to certainly be a challenge’

Adelaide: Captain Michael Clarke says India's thorough knowledge of Australian conditions mean the tournament co-hosts will have to be at their best when the two teams face off in the cricket World Cup semifinals in Sydney on March 26.

Clarke, whose team defeated Pakistan by six wickets at the Adelaide on Friday to make the semis, conceded that playing India in a semifinal would be a challenge.

Read: Here’s why Team India will win against Australia

"They are obviously playing a lot better than they were throughout the start of the (Australian) summer. I said leading into the World Cup that I thought India were going to be an extremely tough team to beat. They are a very good team and because they have spent so much time in Australia, they know the conditions quite well. The game on Thursday is going to certainly be a challenge,” Clarke said.

"We definitely have to be at our best to beat them. We look forward to that challenge," Clarke added.

India have been on a roll winning seven straight matches, in a dramatic turnaround following their winless Test and ODI tour Down Under prior to the mega-event. "Thursday becomes our World Cup final. We look forward to it," Clarke said.