Australia v India T20 World Cup Tips: Kohli match-up surely means runs

• Australia will treat this as knockout

• Aussies rare value at odds-against

• Gros Islet surface looks to be slowing up

• Kohli value for top bat

• Head to our Euro 2024 HUB for today's best tips and previews

Australia v India
Monday 24 June, 15:30
TV: Live on Sky Sports

Australia v India T20 World Cup team news

India have almost certainly qualified for the semi in Providence, benefitting bizarrely by being the only team to have known where their last-four game would be played before squads were announced. As a result Kuldeep Yadav has come into the side and they are all-in with spin.

Probable XI: Rohit, Kohli, Pant, Yadav, Dube, Hardik, Jadeja, Axar, Arshdeep, Kuldeep, Bumrah

Defeat by Afghanistan means Australia are in a spot of bother. They could still qualify with a narrow defeat and narrow Afghanistan success over Bangladesh. But they will view this as must-win. Josh Hazlewood's lack of wickets brings Nathan Ellis into contention.

Probable XI: Warner, Head, M Marsh, Maxwell, Stoinis, David, Wade, Cummins, Starc, Zampa, Hazlewood

Australia v India T20 World Cup pitch report

It's not great news for the Aussies that pace off made the difference in South Africa-England. There was about 40-point swing in terms of strike rate for 'slower' bowling. This could be attritional as the weight of games at Gros Islet have meant wear and tear has slowed things up. We await a 20-over par line but would be interested in a short in the mid 170s.

Australia v India T20 World Cup match prediition

India are 1.814/5 favourites with Australia 2.206/5. The opportunity to back the Aussies at odds-against doesn't come around too often and we will take it.

We are not concerned that this will be treated as a quarter-final for them. Sure, they have to wise up against spin but they relish a challenge and a battle. Could their intensity make all the difference with India safe?

Australia v India T20 World Cup player bets

Virat Kohli is improving. But he is still without the big score that his ability usually guarantees. We have been on him for runs for the last two games and it might be folly to abandon him. It is possible that the Australia attack focusses the mind, something the likes of Bangladesh and Afghanistan couldn't inspire. On the match-up against that probable front four Aussie attack, Kohli averages 43 from 177 balls in T20i and in franchise he has taken 157 runs from 91 balls with no outs. That is a big marker. He goes off at 23/103.30 for top India bat with Sportsbook.

Read more T20 world Cup cricket tips HERE!