Australia’s “strange campaign” stutters as India serves up some cold revenge

We find ourselves in the last refuge of the desperate today, barracking for an unlikely outcome to keep our T20 World Cup ambitions alive.

Australia was beaten by India overnight and now need Bangladesh to defeat Afghanistan in a game that starts at 10:30am AEST.

It’s a bit mean-spirited to hope for that outcome.

Given what it would mean to Afghanistan and how comprehensively they outplayed Australia on Sunday, they are the rightful team to progress to the semis.

Last night’s scenario was perfect for India. A chance to serve revenge cold to Australia.

The wounds of last year’s 50-over World Cup run deep. No one has suffered under that more than captain Rohit Sharma.

The fact they could finish Australia without the pressure of a final played perfectly for India.

Rohit took to the task with relish.

He smashed 29 from Mitch Starc’s second over and put Pat Cummins on the roof at St Lucia.

He was merciless with Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis, plundering eight sixes and seven fours.

It was rightly noted as he raced past 50 in 19 balls – the fastest half century of the tournament – that the only question facing Rohit was whether he hit the next ball for four or six.

He hyper-charged the innings with 92 from 41 balls before Starc got him with a yorker.

Australia attempted to apply the restraints but again were undone by their fielding.

Mitch Marsh dropped a simple catch which aided a late onslaught.

India’s 205 was the equal highest score conceded by an Australian team at a T20 World Cup.

In reply, Dave Warner went in the first over before Travis Head and Mitch Marsh got to work.

Between Marsh’s pulling and Head’s slashing they had Australia hurtling along… until Marsh was brilliantly caught in the boundary - a one-handed screamer by Axar Patel from a ball that was sailing over the rope for six.

The difference in fielding standards was precisely illustrated in that moment.

Glenn Maxwell started with a deft boundary through backward point and a pair of switch-hit sixes but when he walked straight at Kuldeep and was comprehensively bowled the task was steep.

Head was the mainstay with a well compiled 76 but when he holed out with 56 still needed from 22 balls the cause looked lost.

Australia got nothing from Stoinis or Matthew Wade and not enough from Tim David.

The margin of defeat was 24 runs and now the wait to see if someone else can help aid the cause.

Observed from afar this has been a strange campaign.

The most tangible deficiency just how poor the fielding was when typically that is Australia’s greatest strength in tournament play.

The analytics had them as the worst catching team in the Super 8s by a margin.

If this is over it’s a failed campaign… the second T20 World Cup in succession Australia will have missed the semi finals.

They trusted the old boys with the task and they didn’t deliver.