With the semi-final berth already in the bag, MS Dhoni led side will be looking to continue the winning momentum going when they take on a struggling Australian side in their last group league encounter.
With the semi-final berth already in the bag, MS Dhoni led side will be looking to continue the winning momentum going when they take on a struggling Australian side in their last group league encounter. After a hat-trick of victories, Team India are surely ‘title contenders’ and would look to add more pain for George Bailey and his team, by knocking them out of the tourney.
India have already registered wins against Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh in three successive matches to qualify for the semis, and thus the confidence of the team is at an all-time. The only blemish for the Men In Blue will be the form of Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj Singh who have struggled for runs in the WT20 so far. On the other hand, back-to-back defeats against Pakistan and West Indies have derailed Australia’s bid to win their inaugural T20 title. The Oz are all but out of the competition with a faint mathematical opportunity that has kept them afloat and interested. If Pakistan beat Bangladesh in the game before, Australia are well and truly out of the T20 World Cup.
But if things go the Aussies way, George Bailey and his team have to beat India by a comprehensive margin which looks a distant reality considering the current form of the two teams.
But the Australian team have to be aware of the Indian spin contingent which is on form at the moment. While left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja has been a bit on the expensive side despite taking wickets, off-spinner R Ashwin and leg-spinner Amit Mishra have proved that they can be lethal if the conditions suit spin.
MS Dhoni might rest a player or two, but with Australia as the opposition, the former might play with the same team that earned a place in the semis. Australia has to win this tie by hook or crook and going by the current forms of both the teams, the Men In Blue seem the favoured side.
Probable XI:
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan/Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami
Australia: Aaron Finch, David Warner, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, 5 George Bailey (c), Brad Hodge, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Starc, James Muirhead, Doug Bollinger
