Who: Australia vs India
What: ICC T20 World Cup Super Eights Group 1
When: Monday, June 24, 10:30am local time (14:30 GMT)
Where: Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia
How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live coverage begins at 10:30 GMT
Seven months on from the November 19 ICC Cricket World Cup final in Ahmedabad, India have a chance to mend some broken hearts and knock out their then-conquerors Australia from the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
The Super Eights clash in Saint Lucia on Monday will present India the chance to stay on top of Group 1, relegate Australia to the third spot and potentially send them out of the tournament.
A win for Rohit Sharma’s side will leave Mitchell Marsh’s men on the precipice as the later game between Afghanistan and Bangladesh will then decide their fate.
Marsh and Co will have to overcome one of the only two undefeated sides in the tournament.
Despite having found themselves in tough situations with bat and ball, India have managed to navigate the tournament unscathed. Rohit’s men will not give up that record against the team that handed them their only loss in a home 50-over Cricket World Cup – in the final in front of more than 140,000 home fans.
India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey believes his team will be focused on their own game and not the opponents, but fans can expect a heated contest when both teams take the field.
“The focus should be on the execution [of our own plans] and if we are close to our plans, we can cross to the other side [of the tournament],” Mhambrey said on Saturday.
𝘼 𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 #𝙏𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖! 👏 👏
A 5⃣0⃣-run win over Bangladesh for @ImRo45 & Co as they seal their 2️⃣nd win on the bounce in Super Eight. 🙌 🙌
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/QZIdeg3h22 #T20WorldCup | #INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/GJ4eZzDUaA
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 22, 2024
Meanwhile, Australia will know exactly what they need to achieve in order to enter the semifinals and will look to go in with the right “planning and execution” to get the desired result, according to their bowling coach Andrew McDonald.
“There’s no doubt that we need to be at our best [against India],” McDonald told reporters on Saturday night.
The former Australian fast bowler said the closing stages of the tournament can throw tricky situations at teams and his experienced squad will know how to handle the pressure.
“[We] know how tight it is when you get to the pointy end of the tournament – there will be plenty of discussions around net run rate given we play the second last game and Bangladesh play Afghanistan in the last game.
“Ultimately, we are going to take care of what’s in our control and that’s India, no doubt one of the tournament favourites.”
How can India qualify for the semifinals?
India will sail through with a win. In case of a close win for Australia, India will still be favourites to qualify given their high net run rate.
Unless India have a horrible day and lose by a big margin, they will not be in danger of getting knocked out on the basis of net run rate.
How can Australia qualify for the semifinals?
A loss is likely to knock out Australia, should Afghanistan beat Bangladesh later on. It means that Australia need a win to have any chance of qualifying for the semis.
In case of a loss for Australia and Afghanistan (against Bangladesh), net run rate will come into play and that’s where Mitchell Marsh’s side hold an edge.
What happens in case of a washout?
An abandoned match in case of a washout will award a point each to both sides. So India will sit on top of the table with five points and will go through.
For Australia, a total of three points will not be enough and they will need Bangladesh to beat Afghanistan in order to qualify.
Pitch condition and toss
The Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium has produced high-scoring encounters and a day game will give both teams a potentially even-paced pitch.
Toss is unlikely to play a crucial role unless the weather has a significant role to play.
Weather forecast
There’s a high chance of rain in the hours leading up to the 10:30am (14:30 GMT) start time and it could delay the start of proceedings.
Rain and thunderstorms could also interrupt the game if and when the action begins.
Head-to-head
The familiar foes have met in 31 T20 international matches, the most recent being a home series for India.
India have won on 19 occasions, including the last series (4-1), while Australia have won 11 matches. One match match ended in no result.
Of their five meetings in the T20 World Cup’s history, India have won three and Australia two.
Form guide
India are one of the tournament’s form teams, having won all of their matches so far. They have been getting themselves out of tricky situations with help from their lower-order batters and ever-reliable pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia haven’t had a bad tournament either, but they suffered a loss at the hands of Afghanistan in their second Super Eights game and will be desperate to get back to winning ways.
Australia: L W W W W
India: W W W W W
Australia team news
The 2021 champions could go with a spin-heavy bowling lineup. Ashton Agar’s continued inclusion, along with Adam Zampa, will pose the question of leaving out Mitchell Starc once again or swapping him with fellow pacer Josh Hazelwood.
Squad: Mitchell Marsh (captain), David Warner, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Ashton Agar, Cameron Green, and Nathan Ellis
India team news
India are unlikely to change the XI that has brought them so much success in this tournament.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
