India beat Australia to cement place in T20 World Cup semifinals

Rohit Sharma's explosive 92 leads India to victory as Australia falls short in chase

In a thrilling encounter at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, India emerged victorious against Australia by 24 runs in their Super Eights Group 1 clash.

The match, held at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, saw India setting a formidable target of 206 runs, which proved too steep for Australia to chase down.

India, batting first, posted a total of 205/5 in their 20 overs. Captain Rohit Sharma led the charge with a blistering 92 off just 41 balls, including seven fours and eight sixes.

Despite losing Virat Kohli early for a duck, India maintained a high run rate thanks to Sharma's explosive innings.

Contributions from Suryakumar Yadav (31 off 16) and Hardik Pandya (27* off 17) further solidified India's commanding position.

Mitchell Starc and Marcus Stoinis were the pick of the bowlers for Australia, each taking two wickets, although they were expensive. Starc's 4-over spell went for 45 runs, while Stoinis conceded 56 runs in his four.

Australia's chase got off to a rocky start with the early dismissal of David Warner for 6.

However, Travis Head played a sensational innings, scoring 76 off 43 balls, supported by Mitchell Marsh, who added 37 off 28.

Despite their efforts, Australia's middle order failed to capitalize on the strong start.

Glenn Maxwell's 20 off 12 and lower-order resistance from Pat Cummins (11* off 7) were not enough to reach the target.

India's bowlers kept the pressure on, with Arshdeep Singh leading the attack, taking 3/37. Kuldeep Yadav was also instrumental, claiming 2/24 in his four overs.

Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel chipped in with a wicket each, ensuring Australia could only muster 181/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

India's victory over Australia means Afghanistan has the opportunity to secure the second spot behind India in their Super 8s group, potentially displacing Australia and eliminating the former champions from the tournament if they win their match against Bangladesh.

The outcome of the match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh will determine the next semi-finalist based on a superior run rate.

Australia’s back-to-back defeats to India and Afghanistan have significantly hindered their chances of progressing.