Gros Islet (St Lucia): India reached the top of the Super 8 table with their impressive win against Bangladesh in their second Super 8 match at Antigua on June 22. This will give them the much-required muscle against Australia whom they meet on June 24 at St Lucia.
Australia would be the first big team that Team India will face in this tournament, having faced Ireland, an out-of-sorts Pakistan and USA in their Group Stage matches and meeting Afghanistan and Bangladesh thus far in the Super 8s.
India have travelled with their run-anorexia from New York where the pitch had them and all other teams struggling for bat constructs. But despite the pitch, and the determined navigation of it, the match against Australia would require added intent, stability and flair all put into one for a total to be put on the board which has the potential to challenge the eternal winners and sustained fighters that the Australians are.
Against Bangladesh and on the best pitch thus far that India has played on, Sharma, Kohli Pant and Surya failed to make a super solid statement with the bat though they gave the total a push on the scoreboard. They did construct double-digit scores but failed to get to 50. The Aussie bowling squad knows how to exploit vulnerabilities.
Also, Rohit Sharma and his squad would meet the Australians in this world cup with destructional memories of the heart-breaking finals that they lost to Pat Cummins Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium at Ahmedabad on November 17, 2023.
The added pressures of facing the Australians, that too on an alien pitch where the Aussies have got earlier games which they won, will be daunting.
