World Cup: Australia wins toss, bats vs India in semifinal

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia captain Michael Clarke won the toss and elected to bat in the Cricket World Cup semifinal against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.

Australia retained the same lineup that had a six-wicket win over Pakistan at Adelaide last Friday, with the four-time champions opting against using specialist spinner Xavier Doherty on a SCG wicket that traditionally offers assistance for spin bowlers.

Defending champion India is also unchanged from the lineup that comfortably beat Bangladesh by 109 runs at Melbourne last week.

India has a poor record in limited-overs internationals against Australia at the SCG, having only one victory in 14 attempts dating back to 1980. The winner will progress to Sunday's final against New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The weather is fine and warm, offering ideal batting conditions in front of an expected capacity crowd.

"The wicket looks great," Clarke said. "I think it will be pretty good for both innings. Runs on the board is the reason why we have gone for batting first."

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Lineups:

Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, Michael Clarke (captain), Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood.

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav.

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena, Sri Lanka and and Richard Kettleborough, England.

TV: Marais Erasmus, South Africa. Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle, Sri Lanka.