Clarke terms him as 'exceptional'

Australia captain Michael Clarke praised the "exceptional" Steven Smith after his side beat defending champions India by 95 runs on Thursday to set a World Cup final with New Zealand.

Steven Smith's 105 and his second-wicket stand of 182 with opener Aaron Finch (81) powered Australia to 328 for seven after Clarke won the toss.

"I feel really excited. Smithy was exceptional once again, and I was really proud of the execution of our bowlers," said Clarke after a convincing win at the Sydney Cricket Ground where the impressive Mitchell Starc took two for 28 in 8.5 overs and James Faulkner three for 59 in nine.

Sunday's final in Melbourne will give Australia the chance to avenge their one-wicket loss to New Zealand in a pool-phase thriller at Auckland's Eden Park last month.

"Losing to New Zealand really gave us a kick up the backside," said Clarke. "Mentally I think the guys are ready to walk into the final."

Australia were set back considerably by a rush of wickets at the hands of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Daniel Vettori at Eden Park, and Clarke said the difficult hours during and after that loss were the germination of a sense of purpose and direction that has carried the team through to the final with knockout victories over Pakistan and India.

These hard-fought results also followed a reshuffle of the team. Smith was moved up to No.3, where he again played a spinal innings against India, while Mitchell Johnson was moved back to first-change bowler, a perch from which he claimed the wickets of India's aces Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to all but seal his side's progress. Clarke said all this had begun in Auckland.

But with India having an enjoyed an unbeaten run to the semifinals, Clarke said: "Huge congratulations to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team, I think they've competed really well in this World Cup.

"I'm pretty sure it won't be his last World Cup, he's got a lot of cricket left in him."