ICC World T20: On the cards today �heated� India Australia match

Mangalore Today News Network

Mohali, Mar 27, 2016: Today March 27, Sunday, all eyes on the outside than inside the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium, where curator Daljit Singh was diligently supervising the track for the big game.  The direct attack for a spot in the semis has turned the India vs Australia group fixture into a virtual quarter-final, with fans dropping into Chandigarh and Mohali by herds to watch the game.

The India-Australia encounters have of late turned into a modern-day war between those two being the most successful teams of late. That has often made headlines in the form of flared tempers and a regular sledge on the field.  One person who knows more than a bit about that is Shane Watson, who would want to make the most of the encounter to ensure it’s not his last game for Australia as he has already announced his decision to retire after the tournament.

"Things can get fairly heated as they have in the past," Watson told the media here ahead of the match. "I have learned a lot from those experiences. No doubt it means a lot to India and to us. Sometimes things can get heated fairly quickly, especially in the Indian environment with the crowd intensity like it is."

T20 is, for most part, a young man’s game; and there are quite a few of them on both sides. Watson had no doubt that the intensity of the game will test the young blood.

"More than anything, it’s going to be great experience for these younger guys, but there is no doubt I will be sharing a few things from my experiences in the next couple of days leading up to this game," the veteran all rounder said.

India, as their narrow wins reflect, haven’t had a the kind of run that would justify the favourites tag they are carrying. But the Australian feels it doesn’t make MS Dhoni’s team any less dangerous, especially at home.

"One thing about India is they are such a dangerous side. They [may] have not clicked so far in this tournament [but] the conditions have been extreme, anyone would be struggling in those conditions, whether it’s the Indian team, whether it is opposition team. The ball is turning a huge amount, as much as I have ever seen in a Twenty20 game, whether it was in Nagpur or Eden Gardens."

The amount of talent in the squad, said Watson, makes India beatable when they "click."

"They have got world class players for all types of wickets. They are very dangerous and all of a sudden their team can click. And with their world class players, when they click, they are really unbeatable," he added.

Australia have played at the ground before, which makes them slightly well prepared as far knowledge about the nature of the tracks here is concerned.

On Friday against Australia, they made 193 and even Pakistan ended up getting 172. Though a different pitch will be used for the India-Australia game, it surely gives an idea that we may get a batting wicket on Sunday.

"It doesn’t turn as much out here," said Watson. " They have got skillful batsmen, they have got skillful bowlers even if the ball is not turning that much. It wouldn’t surprise me if the wicket is a bit better here.

But it will all boil down to which team holds its nerves better, which India showed very well during the one-run win against Bangladesh.