SNE NETWORK.CHANDIGARH.
India captain Rohit Sharma’s 92 off 41 balls helped India get to a score of 205/5 in 20 overs. Rohit walked out all guns blazing and unleashed carnage on Australia in the first 10 overs after his side were put to bat first by Mitchell Marsh. He smashed 28 of the 29 runs that were scored in the third over of the match bowled by Mitchell Starc. He continued on his merry way after a brief rain break in the next over and blazed a 19-ball half-century.
It was Starc himself who eventually dismissed Rohit but the 37-year-old had hit 92 runs in 41 balls by then, smashing eight sixes and seven fours. Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya continued the carnage after that, although Australia managed to pull things back somewhat between the 15th and 19th overs.
India vs Australia is always a heavyweight clash but not many expected it to be saddled with pressure on one of the teams when the Super 8 groups were decided. Australia’s defeat to Afghanistan before this game has put them on shaky ground and it could get even worse for them if they don’t beat India today. However, it is not just Rohit Sharma and Co. that threaten them today. Rains lashed St.Lucia on the eve of the match and more is expected during the game itself.
A defeat or a washout would mean that Australia will finish the Super 8 on two or three points respectively. This means that if Afghanistan beat Bangladesh later on in a game that starts at 6am IST, it would be them who would go through and Australia would be out. Australia are the holders of the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup titles and are looking to do a unique treble of holding world titles in all three formats at the same time.
The curator at St Lucia has said that the pitch is nice and hard, should stay the same throughout in a day game. “Whichever team bats should score 180 to 200. I prefer to bat and put runs on the board. England batted poorly. The pitch got a bit tricky and the ball was not coming on,” a member of the groundstaff at the Darren Sammy Stadium told REPORTER.
West Indies scored 218, the highest total of the tournament thus far, in a day-night game with light dew making batting easier. In the only day game held before, South Africa were able to defend 163 against England. It is to be noted that in the England-South Africa day game, the spinners did alright with Keshav Maharaj taking a couple of wickets for the Proteas. Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali picked one each. The top dressing of the main square was done five months ago as part of World Cup preparations. Sri Lanka had also managed to amass 201 against theNetherlands here. The wind will be a factor, as was the case in Barbados and Antigua.
Highlights from IND vs AUS T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match:
– India scored 205/5 in 20 overs
– Rohit fell to Starc on 92 off 41 balls
– Rohit reached 50 in just 19 balls
– Rohit Sharma blasted 28 of the 29 runs that were scored in the third over bowled by Mitchell Starc
– Australia won the toss and chose to bowl
– Even a washout would be enough for India to go through to the semi-finals
– Australia’s fate will be dependent on whether Afghanistan beat Bangladesh or not if they cannot win today in St Lucia
– India lead the head to head between the two sides at T20 World Cups 3-2
– India beat Bangladesh by 50 runs in their last match
– Australia lost to Afghanistan by 21 runs in their last match