T20 World Cup 2024, Super 8 Preview: India face litmus test against Australia; USA look to make an impression

The Super 8 stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup is where the tournament actually begins. The match-ups get tougher, things become even more unpredictable and quest for the semi-finals gets daunting. This time around, that has been made interesting particularly with the qualification of co-hosts United States of America, who are quite easily a surprise entrants.

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USA, after all, were in a group that consisted of India , Pakistan, Ireland and Canada and while Pakistan were expected to qualify for the Super 8 alongside India, a Super Over thriller against the Men in Green meant that had to change.

Tougher challenges await the Men in Blue in the Super Eight stage. India are in Group 1 with Australia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and if history is to go by, Rohit Sharma and Co won’t have it easy.

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Group 2 , on the other hand, consists of USA, England, West Indies and South Africa, and who will go through from this group is anybody’s guess.

India, Australia favourites but Group 2 unpredictable

What makes India strong favourites from Group 1 is their depth in the spin bowling department. During the USA leg of the T20 World Cup, it was the pacers who hogged headlines on pitches that produced variable pace and bounce, but come the Caribbean, that’s going to be different. The spinners, largely Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, have played a supporting role thus far in the T20 World Cup but once the Men in Blue begin their campaign in West Indies, others like Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav could be required to step up.

Also read | Debutants USA aim to cause another upset as Super 8 begins

The spinners will get assistance on Caribbean pitches with a lot more turn on offer, as has ben the case previously, but overcast conditions could make it a different story altogether that could assist the seamers.

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Top-order batting will also be in focus as far as India are concerned. Virat Kohli has not clicked as an opener thus far and it remains to be seen if the team management will look elsewhere for Rohit Sharma’s opening partner. Yashasvi Jaiswal is the next best bet. Such a move would lead to Kohli batting at No 3, and possibly one of Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh or Mohammed Siraj being removed in favour of an extra spinner.

Then there’s Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav, both of whom can make splendid contributions with the bat and both of whom can be vital in game-changing situations. Come 24 June, India will face a litmus test against Australia in Barbados.

As far as Australia have concerned, they too, like India, have had an unbeaten start to the T20 World Cup. The only time they were made to sweat was during their last group stage match against Scotland, when Marcus Stoinis and Tim David took them past the finish line while looking to chase down 181.

Stoinis, with two fifties so far, has been by far the best batter for Australia and leads his country’s scoring charts with 156 runs. As far as their bowling is concerned, leg-spinner Adam Zampa, with nine wickets, has looked in explosive form and the fact that Australia have played all of their matches n the Caribbean only adds to Zampa’s favour.

Ashton Agar will have a much larger role to play but it remains to be seen how he slots into the playing XI with all-rounder Glenn Maxwell also another player who is hard to be overlooked.

David Warner’s form will also be another talking point. Warner began with a 51-ball 56 against Oman in the first game before playing a crucial role against England with a knock of 39. However, the opener had a rare off day against Scotland after he mistimed his drive, eventually being dismissed by Brad Wheal.

Coming into Group 2, t’s unpredictable to say who could go through. West Indies seem to have rediscovered their winning formula, and so have South Africa. An 84-run win over New Zealand in the group-stage was crucial for Afghanistan’s chances. The Rashid Khan-led side cannot be taken lightly and are a team for the big occasions. They also have players who can suit the conditions in the Caribbean, with a host of spinners in Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rehman and Noor Ahmad.

Big hitters? They have them too, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Hazratullah Zazai making for one of the most deadliest top-order combinations.

South Africa, meanwhile, will hope their batters step up after an underwhelming group stage campaign, despite maintaining an unbeaten run. The top-order of Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram have been far from their best and a lot more will be expected, while Heimrich Klaasen will look to nail those finishes with the bat too.

David Miller did score an unbeaten 59 against Netherlands and will have to step up if the top and middle-order crumble once again. Simply put, the task will be cut out for Klaasen and Miller in case of an early batting collapse.

USA, the surprise entrants

USA are the surprise entrants into the T20 World Cup Super Eight stage. It might be a little early to say this, but the T20 World Cup might have had it’s “underdog moment”, with hardly anyone having expected USA to make it out of their group.

USA’s qualification is reminiscent of Kenya’s run to the 2003 ODI World Cup semi-finals. The Americans’ never-say-die attitude till then end is what sets them apart — Be it the Super Over win against Pakistan or their eventual defeat to India, where Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube took the momentum away.

Saurabh Netravalkar (Four wickets) has been the find of the tournament for the USA whereas their batters, including skipper Monank Patel and Aaron Jones have also come good.

It is, however, going to be an uphill task against the likes of South Africa, England and West Indies, but if there’s anything that the USA have proved this tournament, it’s that they cannot be written off.

Pitch and weather forecast

According to Accuweather, Barbados could see spells of rain and even thunderstorms over the weekend. The venue is set to host three Super Eight matches including Afghanistan vs India. Antigua and Trinidad could also see rain interruptions during matches with thunderstorms being predicted.

Should the conditions remain overcast across these venues, that will be of assistance to seamers. Spinners will also play a much larger role than compared to the matches in USA, but one can expect more run-fests in tracks like Trinidad and Barbados which are batting paradises.