The Indian cricket fans can stop their permutation and combinations as the numbers will not matter anymore. India will face Australia at the PCA Stadium in Mohali in a virtual knockout game.
A lot has already been spoken about this cracking encounter. India will be a step ahead of the Aussies when they take the field because for a obvious reason -- home conditions. But that will not be all. India will have to be at their prime in order to outclass the Aussies side again.
Whenever it comes to an India vs Australia clash, one name pops up every time -- Yuvraj Singh. He has haunted Australia enough in the past and he will be looking to do the same in Sunday's virtual qualifying game.
Many may have remembered Yuvraj's six sixes against England in the inaugural ICC World T20 in 2007, but very few may revive the memories of what he did to Australia in the next game, which was the semi-final of the tournament. His incredible innings of 70 runs from just 30 balls powered India to a commendable total that Australia could not reach while chasing.
The swashbuckling left-handed batsman did it in the ICC World T20 2011 in the quarter-final at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad.
He was out of form for quite some time. He failed to make much of an impact in the ICC World T20 2014. But when India faced Australia, Yuvraj belted 60 runs from just 43 balls.
It is not like he only torments in the World Cups. India needed 17 runs from the final over in the third T20 at the Sydney Cricket Ground earlier this year. Yuvraj Singh was at the crease, along with Suresh Raina. He was not striking the ball well at all but he showed the world yet again that he still has that brut force in him when it comes to playing against Australia.
One really cannot hold on to the memories from the past and bask in them. This India vs Australia match is going to be a new clash and Yuvraj will have to forget everything before he takes the field. He might just come out all-guns-blazing against the Aussies as he loves to tame them in the shorter formats of the international game.
This is going to be a very crucial game for the Punjab southpaw and he will not want to waste this opportunity as he will be performing in front of his home crowd. Fans will act as the 12th man when India locks horns with Australia and that can add that extra-bit of pressure on the Australians.
Steven Smith will surely have a plan so as to how to stop Yuvraj Singh, considering his records against them in the past.
We will have to wait and watch whether he can strike horror against Australia in this big stage game, where a spot in the semis is in line.
