Australia will goes for the victory they need to stay alive in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament against India, a team already secured a semis place. India has been in top form in this tournament and has fired on all cylinders so far.
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Having already qualified for the semi-finals – the first team to do so – India will look to keep its winning streak intact and head into the knockouts with confidence.
Australia, on the other hand, has failed to live up to expectations, losing its first two matches to Pakistan and West Indies. Despite having been billed as one of the favourites at the start of the tournament and its batsmen, especially the top-order, in peak form, victory has remained elusive, something it will want to fix in a hurry.
Ahead of their Group 2 encounter, here are some key facts.
Facts:
These teams have won four matches apiece of the previous eight T20I meetings.
India won the last meeting, at Rajkot in October 2013 – it scored 202/4 batting second to record the joint-third highest successful T20I run chase.
Yuvraj Singh has scored 187 runs in five T20I innings against Australia, at an average of 62.3 and strike rate of 183.3. Only Gautam Gambhir (197) has hit more in T20Is between these teams.
If Shane Watson takes three wickets, he will become the first Australian to reach 40 T20I wickets.
Approaching Milestones:
Shane Watson needs two wickets to pass Mitchell Johnson as Australia’s leading T20I wicket-taker.
David Warner is in line to become the first player to represent Australia 40 times in T20Is.
Key Battles:
Glenn Maxwell v Amit Mishra
Australia has relied heavily on Glenn Maxwell in the tournament so far and whilst questions will be asked of its bowlers – totals of 175 and 178 have not been enough to secure a victory – there is no question the top order has under-performed.
Maxwell has hit the two best T20I scores of his career in this event, with his 119 runs coming at a strike rate of 216.4. Of players to face at least 20 balls in the tournament, Maxwell has perhaps unsurprisingly played the highest percentage of attacking shots: 84%.
Amit Mishra has been a revelation in this tournament, suggesting his stop-start international career has plenty of life in it. He has taken seven wickets at an average of 9.42 and strike rate of 10.2 in India’s three matches, with an economy rate of 5.5.
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