The State of Play
We could be in for the T20 World Cup game of the tournament so far when Australia meet India in the Super Eights.
Australia lost their unbeaten run against Afghanistan on Sunday morning and have to win but India will be determined to keep their perfect record alive when the two teams meet.
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Australia have overcome most of the big tests thrown their way so far in the World Cup and it was the win against England that really cemented their place as one of the heavy favourites.
After being put in the same group as the reigning champions, it was unclear how the Aussies would take to perhaps their biggest test in the initial stages but it was a firm and exciting performance if you’re a fan from Down Under.
The Baggy Greens set a comprehensive score of 201 after 20 overs, their highest total so far this summer.
And they excelled in their bowling too, with Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa both taking two wickets to go with the combined total of 73 runs from openers Travis Head and David Warner.
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But most recently, Australia were stunned by Afghanistan in their penultimate Super Eight match, losing to the nation for the first time.
Cummins took his second hat-trick in as many games, but it was not enough for the Aussies who could not catch their opponents’ score of 148.
It now means they must likely win against India, something captain Mitchell Marsh is well aware of.
He said: “It becomes really clear now, we just need to win.
“There’s no better team to do it against, one of the biggest challenges in world cricket.
“We’ll remain positive, we had an off-night tonight, absolute full credit to Afghanistan, I thought they were brilliant. We move on pretty quickly.”
India have already booked their place in the semi-finals and have impressed at the World Cup this summer.
They were also unbeaten in the groups, although one of their matches was rained off.
The Men in Blue most recently saw off Bangladesh in the Super Eights, with Hardik Pandya hitting a half-century on his way to a total score of 196 for India.
A power-packed batting display from India 🔥
Hardik Pandya’s blazing fifty propels India to 196/5 against Bangladesh 🙌#T20WorldCup | #INDvBAN | 📝: https://t.co/5paVmkqn0w pic.twitter.com/6JBCLSsnzr
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 22, 2024
Bangladesh gave it a good go on the chase, but simply did not have the quality to compete with India, who were tipped as the favourites coming into the tournament.
They will want to beat the Aussies to ensure they progress top of their group into the semi-finals, but they will fancy their chances of beating any team left in the competition.
Kuldeep Yadav was in fine form on Saturday, taking three wickets against Bangladesh and he is certainly one to keep your eye on as two titans of cricket meet in Saint Lucia.
Expected line-ups
Australia: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh (c), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
How to watch
Sky have the rights to show the T20 World Cup to UK viewers in 2024 and will broadcast every game live. Coverage gets underway on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket from 3pm UK time on Monday afternoon.
In India, the games can be streamed on Disney + Hotstar app and website. They are also available across the Star Sports Network.
Afghanistan bury the demons of 2023 💥
A historic #T20WorldCup victory for Afghanistan 🤩
📝 #AFGvAUS: https://t.co/FKURxuqBD1 pic.twitter.com/BBPJG7TpTH
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 23, 2024
Prediction
As with the West Indies vs South Africa match, this is a tough one to call.
We have seen the best of both sides at this World Cup and we could see the winner of this match go on to lift the trophy, even with Australia’s wobble against Afghanistan.
Having said that, whichever team does emerge victorious, it would not be surprising to see them on the other end of the result should they meet again.
We are leaning towards Australia in this one, but only because it is a win or bust for them.
