GROS-ISLET, Saint Lucia: India dealt a body blow to Australia, beating them by 24 runs to put them in danger of crashing out of the T20 World Cup. Chasing an imposing 205 for 5, the Aussies could only manage 181 for 7 at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium.
The win put India in the semifinals, in which they will play England in Guyana on Thursday. It will be a repeat of the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal in Adelaide (Australia), which eventual champions England had won by 10 wickets.
On Monday, opener Travis Head played a good hand and kept Australia in the game till the 17th over, in which he got out after blasting a 43-ball 76 that contained nine fours and four sixes.
Arshdeep Singh got David Warner (6) in the very first over but failed to hold on to a catch on his follow through that let captain Mitchell Marsh (37) off in the third over. The Australian cashed in on the chance to thump two boundaries and a six in that over.
From the other end, Travis Head turned the heat on Jasprit Bumrah, hitting him for three boundaries in the fourth over. The Indian spearhead had the last laugh though, dismissing the dangerman with a slower one which the Aussie skied to Rohit Sharma.
Earlier, India went past 200 thanks to Rohit's pyrotechnics with the bat. Opening the innings, the Indian captain cut the Aussies to size with some power hitting — 92 runs in 41 balls, 7x4, 8x6. The right hander switched to charge mode as early as the third over, in which he slammed fast bowler Mitchell Starc for four sixes and a boundary.
However, pacer Josh Hazlewood pulled it back for Australia by conceding just two runs in the next over.
Mitchell Marsh pressed in pacer Pat Cummins into the attack. Rohit welcomed him by hitting the first ball onto the roof of the stadium. Four more boundaries and a single took him to his half-century, the fastest of the tournament, in just 19 balls.
Marsh threw everything at the Indians, without success. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa came into the attack and went for 16 runs that included two sixes by Rohit. Seamer Marcus Stoinis too could not stem the run flow as the Blues raced to 114 for 2 at the halfway stage.
However, Rohit soon got out, to a Starc dipper delivered from around the wicket that angled in and got the toe-end of his bat before crashing into the stumps.
Virat Kohli came a cropper, falling for a four-ball duck as he tried to hit Hazlewood, only to sky a catch to Tim David in the outfield.
Suryakumar Yadav smashed three boundaries and two sixes for a quick 31, but was out chasing a widish delivery from Starc — wicketkeeper Matthew Wade pouched the edge to end SKY’s 16-ball cameo.
Shivam Dube made a 22-ball 28 that included two fours and a six. Next man Hardik Pandya was dropped by Marsh off Zampa while on 4 in the 17th over. He rubbed it in by hitting a boundary and two sixes in an unbeaten 27.
