India faces Australia in a crucial Super 8 match at the Daren Sammy Ground in Gros Islet, St. Lucia on Monday. With two wins out of two games and healthy Net Run Rate, the Men in Blue are very close to securing a spot in the semifinals. On the other hand, Mitchell Marsh-led Aussies are in trouble after a shocking loss to Afghanistan.

Here are some key tactics and matchups that could influence the outcome of the game between India and Australia:

Use Bumrah against Australia’s openers

Start the bowling attack with Jasprit Bumrah. The strong morning gusts blowing east to west can assist new-ball movement, making Bumrah crucial against Australia’s left-handed openers. In this World Cup, Bumrah has bowled 29 balls to left-handers, conceding just 27 runs, taking three wickets, and allowing only two boundaries. He’s India’s best option to exploit Travis Head’s vulnerability outside off stump. Additionally, Bumrah’s around-the-wicket angle can trouble David Warner, who has scored 56 runs off 50 deliveries from Bumrah while getting out to him twice in all T20s. Bumrah has also excelled in the PowerPlay this World Cup, taking three wickets for 21 runs at an economy rate of 2.62.

Can Australia strike with the new-ball?

From left to right: Australian pace trio of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
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GETTY IMAGES

Australia’s pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc have been economical in the early stages, delivering a combined 25 PowerPlay overs at 6.40 runs per over and taking five wickets. However, they haven’t claimed as many wickets as they would have liked. The conditions in St Lucia are likely to challenge their new-ball bowlers. Hazlewood has been exemplary with his lengths, while Starc can be expensive if the ball isn’t swinging. If there’s no early movement for Starc, Australia should consider bringing Cummins into the attack as early as the third over. Cummins’ hard lengths have proven effective at the Daren Sammy ground in St Lucia.

READ | Gone with the wind, in St Lucia!

Watch out for Rohit vs Starc

FILE PHOTO: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma (left) and Australian pacer Mitchell Starc (right).
| Photo Credit:
K.R Deepak/The Hindu & REUTERS

Rohit Sharma has been dismissed three times by left-arm fast bowlers in this T20 World Cup. Australia will likely aim to exploit this weakness with Mitchell Starc, who could use the windy conditions to swing the ball into the right-hander. However, if there’s no movement in the air, Rohit could take advantage of the short square boundaries, which are less than 70 meters long.

Zampa rules the middle overs

India’s middle order will face a significant challenge from Adam Zampa, Australia’s key bowler between overs 7 and 16 in this tournament. Zampa has been exceptional, maintaining an economy rate of under six runs per over and claiming 11 wickets in six innings, with an impressive dot ball percentage of under 50. The wind conditions in St. Lucia favour targeting one side of the ground, making Zampa’s spell crucial in determining the momentum of the match. India will look to stick to right-hand/left-hand combinations at the crease through the middle.

How to make ‘SKY’fall

Suryakumar Yadav plays a shot during the Super 8 match between India and Afghanistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup in Bridgetown, Barbados on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
K.R Deepak / The Hindu

The slow wickets and bowling-friendly conditions at this World Cup have tempered Suryakumar Yadav’s typically high strike rates. Despite this, he has been a crucial stabilising force for the Indian middle order. Over four innings, SKY’s strike rate between overs 7-16 is under 120. Nonetheless, he has effectively anchored the team during a couple of challenging chases. His face-off vs Adam Zampa should be lip-smacking.

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Battle of all-rounders

FILE PHOTO: Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya (left) and Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis (right).
| Photo Credit:
K.R Deepak/The Hindu & GETTY IMAGES

Hardik Pandya has been hitting at a strike rate close to 180 between overs 17 and 20 so far. His dot-ball percentage in this phase is also below 50. He has also picked eight wickets. Aussies have conceded 8.09 runs per over at the death. So, it’ll be interesting if Mitchell Marsh’s men can apply the death-over choke on a marauding Pandya. Meanwhile, Marcus Stoinis is the only player to have scored 100+ runs (167) and taken 5+ wickets (8) at this T20 World Cup and India will be wary of him.

Win the toss, bat first

All group-stage matches in this T20 World Cup at the Daren Sammy Stadium had been played under lights, resulting in high-scoring games. The England vs South Africa Super 8 match on Friday, however, was the first to start at 10:30 am. Shot-making during day games can be challenging here, a fact evidenced by England’s performance. While South Africa amassed 63 runs in the first six overs, England’s batters managed only 41, struggling on a slower-than-expected wicket.

So, the team that wins the toss might look to bat first. In fact, that might be a proactive option for India: bat first, see off the new ball, score big and then cash in in the afternoon with pace off deliveries.