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Australia find themselves in must-win territory here against India following their stunning 21-run loss at the hands of Afghanistan last time out in the ‘Super 8s’.
DATE & TIME: Monday 24th June, 2024: USA (WST) – 7:30am / USA (CST) – 9:30am / USA (EST) – 10:30am / UK – 3:30pm / India – 8:00pm / South Africa – 4:30pm / Pakistan– 7:30pm / Bangladesh – 8:30pm / Tuesday 25th June, 2024: Australia – 12:30am
VENUE: Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, West Indies
WEATHER: Dry with sunny intervals, a moderate breeze and temperatures hot at 31c.
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: USA – Willow TV / West Indies – ESPN Caribbean / UK – Sky Sports / South Africa – SuperSport / Pakistan– PTV Sports & TEN Sports / India – Star Sports / Bangladesh – Disney Star
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: USA – Willow TV website / West Indies – ESPN Play Caribbean app / UK – Sky Go / South Africa – SuperSport app / Pakistan – Myco & Tamasha / India – Disney+Hotstar / Bangladesh – Disney+Hotstar / Australia – Amazon Prime Video
AUSTRALIA FORM: SHOCK DEFEAT LEAVES AUSSIES STARING AT POTENTIAL ELIMINATION
Australia saw their eight-match winning streak in T20i cricket come to a surprise end at the hands of Afghanistan, a result which sees their semi-final hopes suddenly plunged into jeopardy after they were skittled out for 127 chasing 149. That leaves them still on two points with just one ‘Super 8s’ fixture left to play.
LAST FIVE: LWWWW
INDIA FORM: UNBEATEN STREAK EXTENDED WITH COMFORTABLY BANGLADESH TRIUMPH
India have one foot in the semi-finals following victories over Afghanistan and Bangladesh respectively in the ‘Super 8s’ and now Rohit Sharma’s side have the opportunity to potentially knock Australia out of the ICC T20 World Cup should they win and Afghanistan go on to defeat Bangladesh.
LAST FIVE: WWAWW
AUSTRALIA BETTING ANALYSIS
Big names need to step up for Australia if they are to get the better of India and none more so than David Warner. The experienced opener could be playing his final game for his country here and he’ll be desperate to extend that into the semi-finals. It would be no surprise to see Warner grab the game by the scruff of the neck and backing him to accumulate 20+ runs has to be favoured. It may also be worth a bet on Warner to finish as Australia’s top batter.
India’s batters play spin very well, so the smart move is to invest in the quick bowlers of Australia, specifically Pat Cummins. On the back of his hat-trick against Bangladesh, Cummins took another three scalps vs Afghanistan and the in-form right-arm pacer is well placed to keep his good run going. Back Cummins to gain over 1.5 match wickets.
INDIA BETTING ANALYSIS
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh extended his overall wicket-tally across the tournament to 12 overall following his 2/30 against Bangladesh. He has been as reliable a wicket-taker as India would have hoped for and backing him to pick up another 2+ scalps in this game looks a sensible move for bettors to make.
India will no doubt prioritise batting with aggression, but also an element of control when required whether they be setting or chasing a target. All their top order were in the runs last time out with each of the top three recording scores of over 25. With this in mind, back India to accumulate an opening partnership of over 28.5 runs and to score the most match 4s.
AUSTRALIA VS INDIA EXPERT PREDICTION
All of a sudden, Australia now find themselves under huge pressure, the likes of which we’ve not seen across this competition so far. India will see this as a golden opportunity to potentially knock out the Aussies and have been excellent throughout the tournament. Whenever under pressure, India have come up with the answer and their batters are among the best players of spin at the ICC T20 World Cup, which mitigates the threat of Adam Zampa.
We’ve yet to see how Australia react on the back of a defeat, but the expectation is that it will be strong. However, India have all the tools needed to match them and the depth of batting to counter their opponents. When taking this into account, backing India to beat Australia is worth serious consideration.
AUSTRALIA VS INDIA TOP TIP: INDIA TO WIN
