India Vs Australia, T20 WC 2016: Why the match venue and the weather are important
The last Super 10 match of Group 2 in the ongoing ICC World T20 has boiled down to a straight knockout game between hosts India and Australia. Both are tied at 4 points each in 3 matches and fighting for the second semi-final spot from the group.
India Vs Australia Today’s Match Time: 7:30 PM IST
India had a disastrous start to the tournament with a 47 runs defeat to New Zealand though it has bounced back with two consecutive wins over neighbors Pakistan and Bangladesh, those wins didn’t look convincing at all.
In the last match against Bangladesh, India was almost out of the tournament but pulled out a superb nerve cracking last ball 1 run victory to keep the hopes alive for the semi-finals. It will certainly give a huge boost of confidence ahead of today’s match against the mighty Aussies.
India’s batting needs to fire this time as the batsmen failed to live up to their own standards in the previous three matches. It is a perfect opportunity for the openers to shine. However, the bowling has been good and they need to keep up the good work in the field also.
On the other hand, Australia also lost its first match against arch-rivals New Zealand and also bounced back with two straight victories. They have an advantage of playing the last game at the same venue where they convincingly defeated Pakistan by 21 runs.
Since the Aussies are the world champions in the 50-overs format but yet to win a World T20 title, the players are eyeing for the glory in Mohali.
Captain Steven Smith and all-rounder Shane Watson were good with the bat in the last match but it was James Faulkner’s bowling which played an instrumental part in the victory.
With the advantage of playing at the same venue before, the Australian team will be charged up to eliminate the hosts and qualify for the semis.
The venue plays an important role
Both the matches played at this venue during the tournament so far have been high-scoring matches and we can expect a flat batting track today as well. The Indian batting line-up has not been in good nick in the tournament and has played all their previous three matches in turning pitches.
It is a chance for the star-studded Indian batting line-up to show their class in front of a passionate crowd of Punjab today. However, MS Dhoni has been in favor of batting second after winning the toss, he might want to re-consider his choice as teams batting first have won both matches at Mohali.
The weather can prove to be the deciding factor too
In a crunch match like this which is almost like a virtual quarter-final, the weather can make all the headlines. Though the report is good from Mohali so far, but in the case of a washout, it will result in India’s elimination from the tournament.
Both India and Australia are tied with four points and New Zealand has already qualified for the semi-finals.
In the case of a washout, the net run rate of India and Australia will decide the second semi-finalist from the group and Australia’s current net run-rate of +0.440 is far superior to India’s -0.546.
In other words, if India has to qualify for the semi-final it just needs to win today’s match.