The pick of the matches in the T20 World Cup this Wednesday will see tournament co-hosts the United States taking on India at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
The hosts have emerged as the biggest surprise package in the competition so far and are currently level on four points with India heading into the penultimate match of the group stage.
Match preview
© Reuters
In a group that features the pre-tournament favourites (India), former world champions Pakistan, and the steadily improving Ireland, few would have given the US a chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup.
However, such is the format of 20-over cricket that nothing is a given, and at the halfway point of the group stage, the United States have their Super Eight destiny in their own hands, needing just one win from their next two games.
The tournament hosts made a flying start against neighbours Canada in their opening match, as they chased down 195 with 2.2 overs to spare. Aaron Jones led the charge with an unbeaten 94, which is the highest individual score by a player in the competition so far this year.
They then followed that up with a result that many have already dubbed the biggest upset in T20 World Cup history, beating Pakistan four days later in a match that came down to a super over, which they won by five runs.
Up next for the US is India and while a victory over the formidable Men in Blue will be a much more difficult ask, it will take a brave soul to write off the newcomers from pulling off another headline result.
Meanwhile, for India, it has been business as usual in this competition, as they currently lead the group with two wins in two games, while also possessing a very healthy net run rate of +1.455.
The Men in Blue kicked off their T20 World Cup campaign with a demolition of Ireland, where they bowled out their opponents for just 96 before chasing down the small total with more than seven overs to spare.
Rohit Sharma's side then took on a low-in-confidence Pakistan outfit over the weekend, and despite only managing to set the Shaheens a target of 120, they managed to claim a six-run victory thanks to an inspired bowling performance from Jasprit Bumrah, who bagged 3/14 in his four overs.
Along with Australia, India look like the side to beat in this year's T20 World Cup, and like the Aussies, they require just one more victory from their remaining two games to stamp their ticket to the knockout stages.
While India will know not to underestimate the US here, the side from the subcontinent does have one major advantage, which is that they have played both their match on the low-scoring pitch here in Nassau County, while their opponents have played their first two matches in Texas.
Team News
© Reuters
Given their performances to this point, the US are likely to remain unchanged for this match with Steven Taylor and captain Monank Patel, who scored a half-century against Pakistan, making up the opening pair.
Nosthush Kenjige and Saurabh Netravalkar are likely to share the new ball, while Ali Khan, Jasdeep Singh and Harmeet Singh should provide the change of pace in the middle of the innings.
Virat Kohli's promotion to the top of the order for India has yet to pay off, with the former skipper managing just five runs across his two innings, and he will see this as the perfect opportunity to make his mark on the competition.
The pick of the Indian batsmen so far has been Rishabh Pant, who had an excellent IPL campaign for the Delhi Capitals and has already notched up 78 runs in his two innings in this competition.
United States squad: Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones, Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Nethralvakar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
Series so far
United States
Match One: USA won by 7 wickets
Canada - 194/5 (20)
USA - 197/3 (17.4)
Match Two: USA won the super over by 5 runs
Pakistan - 159/7 & 13/1
USA - 159/3 & 18/1
India
Match One: India won by 8 wickets
Ireland - 96 (16)
India - 97/2 (12.2)
Match Two: India won by 6 runs
India - 119 (19)
Pakistan - 113/7 (20)
We say: India to win
This promises to be an intriguing battle between two very different types of teams. The US have adopted a gung-ho, all-out attacking style, while the Indians are much more meticulous in their approach and have the experience to boot.
Given the strength in the batting orders, this match could come down to the side that delivers a better bowling performance, and India undoubtedly have the upper hand in that department. Therefore, we feel the Men in Blue will come out on top in this one.
Devesh Jaganath
