T20 World Cup: How India’s Super 8 group looks like – opponents H2H, venues and weather forecast

Despite playing in tricky conditions in New York, India emerged unscathed from the group stage to take their spot in the Super 8 stage as the T20 World Cup enters the second, all-Caribbean, phase.

India’s Super 8 opponents will be Afghanistan (June 20), Bangladesh (June 22) and Australia (June 24). From the tournament’s pre-seeding there have been a couple of changes with Afghanistan taking the place of New Zealand and Bangladesh taking the place of Sri Lanka in the Super 8s.

Here’s your quick guide for what lies ahead for Rohit Sharma and Co.

India vs Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 20

First up, India take on Afghanistan in Barbados, looking to preserve their unbeaten record against their Asian neighbours in this format. India have never lost to Afghanistan in this format in eight previous meetings (6 outright wins, 1 no result and one tie). The last time they met though, in Bengaluru, India and Afghanistan produced a thriller. A high-scoring 212-212 tie, was followed by not one but two Super Overs before Rohit’s men prevailed.

India have never lost to Afghanistan in this format in eight previous meetings.  (AP)

Venue: Bridgetown, Barbados

Five matches have been played so far at the venue, and the first 200 of the tournament was scored by Australia. In reply though, England struggled in the run-chase after a good start to the powerplay. The cutters and hard-lengths from the Australian pacers made England struggle for timing, as their chase barely had any momentum in the latter stages. There have also been five scores of 150+ so far and one match where Scotland smashed 90/0 in 10 overs against England before rain washed out the rest of the match.

Having struggled for fluency in New York, the Indian batting lineup might just welcome the change of scenery on what could be a fairly decent batting surface.

Weather forecast: The forecast on June 20 in Bridgetown is for clouds and sun with a shower in the area, through morning and afternoon, with a probability of nearly 60% for rain.

India vs Bangladesh, June 22

Next up, India renew their sometimes feisty rivalry with Bangladesh. In 13 past meetings, India have won 12 and lost one, so in this format the Men in Blue have enjoyed immense success. But the 2016 World T20 comes to mind immediately, one of the all-time classic finishes in the tournament when India clinched victory from the jaws of defeat, famously ending with a MS Dhoni sprint for a run out.

Bangladesh’s captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, left, fist bumps with batting partner Litton Das after hitting a six during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket match between Bangladesh and South Africa at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Westbury, New York, Monday, June 10, 2024. (AP/PTI)

Venue: North Sound, Antigua

It is tough to draw conclusions from the previous five matches at the venue, where England, Scotland and Australia all had big wins against Oman and Namibia. Oman and Namibia’s batting units were blown away by England and Australia respectively, before the powerhouses completed the chase in double-quick time. Being a morning game, there is likely to be helpful conditions for the side bowling first early on. It will be the 2nd Super 8 match here after South Africa vs USA, so perhaps there might be a better indication of what’s in store after Wednesday.

Weather forecast: A stray morning thunderstorm in areas of St George is forecast, in what is otherwise expected to be a partly sunny day. Chance of precipitation in the morning is just above 40%, so this could also be a stop-start affair.

India vs Australia, June 24

And finally, a mouthwatering clash against Australia. The Indo-Aussie rivalry needs no introduction, and Rohit’s team will hope to reverse the heartbreak of November 19 in Ahmedabad, perhaps preventing Australia from completing the ICC trophy set simultaneously in men’s cricket. India have won 19 out of the 31 meetings between the two heavyweights, with Australia winning 11 (1 No Result). In the men’s T20 World Cup, the teams have met five times, with India shading it 3-2. The two famous matches that come to mind immediately are the 2007 semifinal and the 2016 Super 10 game, both thrillers where India prevailed.

India and Australia find themselves in the same group in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup despite both teams topping their pools. (PHOTO: AP)

Venue: Gros Islet, St. Lucia

One of the highest scoring venues of the tournament so far — Afghanistan vs West Indies on Tuesday was the third match played here, and there will be two more matches in the Super 8 before India take on Australia in the marquee clash. After somewhat of a run-fest between the Aussies and Scotland, the West Indies put on quite the show against Afghanistan. On a pitch with consistent bounce for pacers (above the average of the entire tournament combined), WI recorded the highest powerplay score in the tournament’s history (92/1). But the introduction of spin and cutters in the middle overs brought down the scoring rate significantly, another case perhaps for India to look at three spinners, especially the wrist option of Kuldeep Yadav.

A day after Sri Lanka’s 201 against the Netherlands, West Indies posted 218, for the tournament’s highest score so far. The breeze across the stadium has also been a key element, helping batters go big one side of the venue. It all points to a high-scoring thriller between India and Australia in a clash that could potentially determine which team plays which semifinal.

Weather forecast: A thunderstorm in spots in the morning is forecast on 24 June; otherwise, cloudy and humid. In the morning, the chance of precipitation is 40% but going down to 25% in the afternoon.

(Weather information via accuweather.com)

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