India take on Australia in the final Group 2 game in the Super 10s, which is the 31st game of the tournament. The game will be played at the PCA Stadium Mohali.
India and Australia have gone head to head too many times in the last one year or so. For two Australian summers, India have travelled to Australia and were beaten quite convincingly in the Tests and the ODIs. As soon as it came to T20s though, India whitewashed the Aussies. In this game, which is a virtual quarter final, both teams will look to put their best show .
India have been patchy this World T20 and on most occasions it has been their bowling that has held its head high, their much famed batting line-up has failed to score collectively. In three games, not once has India scored over 8 rpo.
For Australia after a shaky start against New Zealand looks like everything is falling into place. Their batters devoured on the much talked about Pakistani pace attack and James Faulkner fifer helped them beat Pakistan quite easily in the end.
For India to win, it is imperative that their batsman contribute. Loose shots from Rohit Sharma have resulted in his wicket on three occasions, he has failed to carry his form into the World T20 and this game will be the best time to bring in the goods. Shikhar Dhawan too has looked wanting, while MS Dhoni doesn't like to tinker with his team much, bringing in Rahane will help India have some stability at the top of the order. Raina, Yuvraj both have had starts, to convert those in a do or die game will be imerative.
The Indian bowling looks fine with Nehra, Bumrah, Jadeja and Ashwin all compensating for the shortcomings of their batsmen. The fifth bowler will be a concern once again and surprisingly Yuvraj Singh hasn't had a bowl this tournament. Against a batting line-up that is wary of spin, Dhoni wouldn't mind unleashing his spinners.
Steve Smith, the man who has troubled India for the last 16 months or so, has announced his return to form with a sublime fifty. With the opening slot conundrum put to rest and Shane Watson playing the role of a finisher at no. 6, Australia finally seem to have found their best XI.
For all its glorious past, India have struggled to play spin in recent times. The lack of another spinner apart from Adam Zampa might hurt Australia. They did the right thing by bringing in Josh Hazlewood and since they will be playing on the same ground where they beat Pakistan, there might hardly be any changes in the playing XI.
The game starts at 19:30 local time (14:00 GMT)
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