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India vs Australia in ICC tournaments is always a delight to watch. Cricket fans are in for another delight as India and Australia face each other tonight at 8 p.m. IST. This is the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eight stage. The match will be at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground (previously Beausejour Stadium) in Saint Lucia.
This will be the third Super Eight stage match for India and Australia. India is unbeaten in the tournament, having won all the group stage and Super Eight stage matches. Whereas, Australia tasted a defeat against Afghanistan in their second match of the Super Eight Stage. By defeating Australia, Afghanistan took revenge for the loss of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
India Can Knock Australia Out Of The T20 World Cup
The last time India vs Australia happened in an ICC tournament was in the final of the 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup. Australia defeated India and won the ODI World Cup title for the sixth time. The memories of the final still haunt the fans, and the sad memories are sure to resurface again tonight. It is time for India to have their sweet revenge for November 19. The fans would love to see India pay back Australia.
Here’s how India can knock Australia out of the tournament:
If India manages to win tonight, Australia will have just two points in three matches. For the ticket to the semifinal, Australia will have to hope for Bangladesh to win against Afghanistan. It should be noted that only two games remain in the Super Eight Stage. One is today’s clash, and the last is Afghanistan vs Bangladesh. By winning today, India can silence and increase Australia’s trouble in the tournament.
Even if India loses tonight, the Men in Blue are likely to get a semifinal ticket. But looking at how the Aussies have troubled them in the ICC tournaments, India will be desperate to end Australia’s streak at India vs Australia tonight.
India vs Australia – Rain Expected To Play Spoilsport
The much-anticipated high-voltage clash of India vs Australia may have rain as an unwanted guest. With India all but through to the semifinal, Australia’s fate is hanging in balance, as said earlier. As Australia plays for its survival tonight, the clouds could pour water on their plans and pave the way for their elimination.
According to the report by Accuweather, rain is expected to come heavily in Saint Lucia for an entire day on June 24. Showers are expected even before the India vs Australia clash starts at 8 p.m. IST (Indian Standard Time). What’s bad is that the skies are not expected to open up even after the match begins.
The weather forecast report shows the chances of rain being high at 70% during the day. It indicates that the India vs Australia contest may not be a full 20-over contest. Following is the hourly weather report for Saint Lucia:
6:30 PM IST: 64% chance of rainfall
7:30 PM IST: 40% chance of rainfall
8:30 PM IST: 34% chance of rainfall
9:30 PM IST: 37% chance of rainfall
10:30 PM IST: 47% chance of rainfall
11:30 PM IST: 51% chance of rainfall
Playing Eleven For Today’s Clash
Indian batters have not been consistent in scoring runs in the tournament. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shivam Dube are struggling to score decent runs. Dube is yet to find his touch. Besides star hitter Suryakumar Yadav, who has scored two fifties, no other batsman has scored more than one half-century, and some are yet to register a half-century. However, the bowling department has performed well. Following is India’s likely playing eleven.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah.
In the game against Afghanistan, Australia includes an extra spinner, Ashton Agar, in place of Mitchell Starc. The Aussies could continue with the same change, but leaving out a lethal left-arm pacer like Starc could backfire. The captain, Mitchell Marsh, is struggling and has yet to find his form. He has scored just 88 runs in six innings, with an average of 17.60 and a strike rate of 111. Following is Australia’s likely playing eleven.
Australia: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh (c), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc/Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa, and Josh Hazelwood.