Hussey shrugs off Yuvraj taunts

Australia batsman Mike Hussey has hit back at Yuvraj Singh's claim that they have a "weak underbelly" which will be exposed on Thursday 

Yuvraj has been in sensational form during the tournament, with three half-centuries and one three-figure score already under his belt, and he will be a key player as India take on Australia in the World Cup quarter-finals in Ahmedabad.

But the big-hitting all-rounder has never been one to endear himself to opposition players and he has already stoked up the fire ahead of the mouth-watering last-eight clash by suggesting that the Aussies are not the side they were with several big-name players having retired.

He also suggested that the middle order is weak and that they are vulnerable once the top-order batsmen have been dismissed.

Hussey will be one of those batsmen who will come in after the top three or four have gone and he was quick to point out that, while the stars of yesteryear may be long gone, the men from Down Under will be full of confidence having enjoyed success against the Asian giants in recent times (Hussey 6/1 to be top Aussie run-scorer v India).

"I don't really care what the sentiment is outside the arena," he said. "All I really care about is what's going on in the team. We've won quite a few series against India in one-day cricket over here in the last few years, without the likes of McGrath and Warne and Gilchrist and Hayden.

"We can come 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 some very tough series."