WC 2015 IND vs UAE: Champion India aim to continue World Cup momentum

Perth: After high-profile wins over archrival Pakistan and one of the tournament favourites, South Africa, India's biggest concern ahead of Saturday's World Cup match against second-tier side United Arab Emirates could be complacency.

The Indian line-up will be without coach Duncan Fletcher, who is in South Africa to attend a family funeral. But the Indians will be heavily favoured against a UAE team that has lost both its matches - albeit closely - to Zimbabwe and Ireland.

Perhaps more importantly, India pace bowler Mohammed Shami will miss the match with a mild left knee injury. Team officials on Friday said Shami, who has taken six wickets in two matches, had an ultrasound-guided injection "for his long-term management."

India opener Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 137 runs in the South Africa win, said the team will miss Fletcher's presence, "but we'll do the same routine, and just go out and play our game."

He admitted the team was buoyed by the large percentage of Indian fans among the 86,000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the South Africa match.

A similar partisan crowd is expected at the WACA on Saturday in a city where Indian expatriates make up the third-highest number of foreign-born citizens after New Zealanders and South Africans.

"It gives us a great feeling that fans follow us, and give us so much importance," Dhawan said. "It gives us that extra edge."

Defending champion India have shown a major form reversal in both its wins - by 76 runs over Pakistan and a massive 130 runs over the South Africa - after losing a Test series to Australia and also failing to win a match in a one-day tri-series with Australia and England. That was three months in Australia without a victory in a competitive match.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dohni said the World Cup was the team's focus all along, which is why it won't be taking the UAE lightly.

"We wanted to give players more opportunities in the tri-series to some extent," Dhoni said. "There were quite a few players who were injured, also, and we kept the intensity a bit low. But at the same time we knew with the World Cup right at the corner, this tournament was much more important to us."

UAE captain Mohammed Tauqir, at 43 the oldest player to captain a team at the World Cup, sounded like the veteran he is when he said his squad wouldn't be over-awed by the Indian side.

"We know they are big stars, but we will take this game with the same intensity as the others. We are not intimidated by the names," Tauqir said. "There was improvement in our performance in each game and we need to get over the line now with a win."

Tauqir's line-up lost to Zimbabwe by four wickets, with the winners needing 48 overs to surpass the UAE's 285-7. Ireland only exceeded the UAE's 278-9 with four balls to spare.

"The Zimbabwe game was close, the Ireland game even closer," Tauqir said. "We know we are playing well, mentally everyone is very, very calm, and we are not getting emotional by the situation."

Tauqir admitted there were "four or five" run-out chances they missed in their two matches, mildly rebuking a journalist who thought it was higher.

"We have been working very hard on all our cricket, especially on our fielding," he said. "I would not say 15, maybe four or five chances. It's a direct throw that is needed. Overall, we've had a satisfactory effort in the past few games.”