The India vs Australia contest has suddenly become a blockbuster game in the T20 World Cup 2024 after Afghanistan beat the Aussies. The result has opened up the group a little bit. It also massively changes the dynamics of the India vs Australia clash. Had Australia beaten Afghanistan, it would have been more like a curtain raiser a knockout game later on in the tournament. However much to the surprise of the Aussies, their first knockout game has come very early, against the Indians, in the Super 8s itself.
India would also want to win that game not just to keep their winning momentum but also to not give an inch to anyone to go past them at Super 8 stage. But because their NRR is so significantly better than other teams in the group, a loss to them may not impact their semi-final chances.
Australia had a terrible time against Afghanistan last night. From the selection point of view, I think the decision to leave out Mitchell Starc was odd. I am sure he is coming back to play against India. Conditions were aligned in Australia’s favour but I am not surprised Afghanistan managed to pull off a spectacular win. I have been a huge fan of them for a long time. I think their coach Jonathan Trott is doing a fine job, helping some talented cricketers play their best cricket. I am not very surprised to see Afghanistan beat Australia as they were never thin on talent.
However, the one thing we know about Australia ahead of their all-important game against India is that they are one side who are known for their big match performance. They know how to react positively on a big stage and produce a good result for themselves when the chips are down. There are big-match players in the side who have proven themselves quite recently in the last one year or so, winning the ICC World Test Championship as well as Cricket World Cup 2023.
Australia will try and learn from their mistakes against Afghanistan. They were really poor in the field. I do not think I have seen a performance like this from them for many years. They were unable to deliver an all-round show against Afghans. But one lacking I have repeatedly spoken about the Aussies in T20Is is absence of a pure batter in middle order. I feel that Australia are potentially a batter light in that lineup. When they are 30 for 2 or 30 for 3, like they were against Afghanistan, it does expose them a little bit. This was one of the only times in the tournament so far that Aussies lost quick wickets at the start and they ended up struggling throughout the innings. In the same light, I am surprised they have not tried Josh Inglis in the middle order so far and I do not think they will now. Inglis could have been that batter coming to help when the team lost the top-order for a few runs.
One huge plus for Australia even from that defeat was runs from Glenn Maxwell. I guess he enjoys batting against Afghanistan. He could have seen them over the line had he stayed a little
longer. Maxwell at 4, Marcus Stoinis at 5 and Tim David at 6 is a very good T20I batting lineup but if the top 3 do not fire, then the batting can get a little exposed.
The bowling lineup looks fantastic to me. I think the conditions in St Lucia might suit Australia’s bowling as well. The England vs South Africa game revealed to us that tall bowlers hitting the deck hard at back of the length can make a big impact. Aussies have the likes of Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins to do that. Adam Zampa has been outstanding in the tournament. His matchup with Virat Kohli will be an interesting one. Zampa has a got a good record against Kohli, getting him out 3 times in 12 innings in T20Is.
The other exciting matchup will be of Starc vs Rohit. Starc with the new ball against Rohit can be a mouth-watering contest as the Indian captain can sometimes struggle against the left-arm pacers. The swinging ball with the left-arm angle can trouble Rohit. Jasprit Bumrah vs David Warner will be another mini battle to watch out for. Bumrah has got a good record against most batters but certainly against Warner.
Coming to India, I think they are in a pretty good shape and form. We talked about their top order not getting a lot of runs before the Bangladesh game but Rohit and Kohli did get starts. They could not contribute in big numbers but still theirs were significant contributions in context of the conditions and the pitch. Almost all batters chipped in with crucial runs down to the bottom. As I mentioned in my last article, the advantage to India in their top-order not getting runs is that their middle and late middle order is getting good time to spend on the pitch and being among runs as well. These runs will help these batters going into the business end of the tournament.
I am assuming that India are going to play their full team against Aussies. If this upcoming clash vs Australia were a dead rubber, India perhaps would have tried their bench in this game. Both sides are sort of playing back-to-back games now with tournament entering the most challenging phase and the games are coming thick and fast. Maybe a rest to a player battling a small niggle could have helped both the teams. But now with a chance to knock Aussies out of the tournament, I think India are going to come at full strength to try and beat Aussies, who have no other option but pick their best XI. It must be mentioned that both these teams have an ample number of all-rounders in the side too who help provide a nice balance to the XI.
The other thing I have liked about India, in terms of their planning and strategy, is Bumrah opening the bowling. Bumrah and Arshdeep with the new ball is a potent attack. Kuldeep needs to play every game from here for India. He is a key member of India’s best XI and I cannot now see a scenario where Kuldeep does not play unless they end up playing on a minefield where you must play an additional pacer.
In my view, the powerplay will be very crucial for both the teams in this big contest. The game will be won by the side which wins the powerplay. I have watched previous games in St Lucia and the side that wins the powerplay, wins the game. That is why some of the matchups that I mentioned earlier will be exciting to watch. I am expecting this clash to be a blockbuster as with so much at stake, it is going to be a great watch.
