India in a must win situation against Proteas to enter last four

Sep 20: Men in Blue have to make a fresh start all over again with in the 24 hours of their emphatic victory over England as they will now be facing mighty South Africans, in their crucial last league match which is a virtual quarterfinal, to pull out a comprehensive victory and seal a possible last four berth at Kingsmead in Durban later tonight.

India 's victory over England put every team in a tricky situation. All the three teams in their group are still in contention for the semi-final slots. New Zealand's net-run rate (NRR) is presently the least among the three teams, which means if India beat South Africa they will qualify. Also, if South Africa loses by a big margin and their net run rate would drop below 0.05, which is New Zealand's current NRR. In that case India and New Zealand will make it to the semis. If South Africa wins, they'll clearly go through along with New Zealand.

It will be a high-voltage clash between India and the hosts that will decide which two teams will make it to the semi-finals of the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup. Both teams scored remarkable wins on Wednesday. Justin Kemp led South Africa to a target of 154 against New Zealand while India powered by an astounding knock from Yuvraj Singh scored 219. The batting line-ups of both the teams are so powerful, which suggests a likely run galore is on the cards.

"Thursday is another do or die situation and it will be a tough game," India captain Mahendra Dhoni explained.

"The players have to respond positively and back themselves."

For India, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have been in fabulous form, ensuring the team would get to a rollicking start. And Yuvraj Singh who is in such a great form as well. India has the batting prowess that can give hard time to any attack.

Indian team has just to keep their momentum and record straight as they have already been already doing quite well in the tournament. Dhoni’s men just need to stay calm, keep their cool and heads high and the team can turn the tables on any opponents at any given point of time.

South Africa will also fancy their chances with the bat as well. Graeme Smith is due a big score for sometime now, as is AB de Villiers. Justin Kemp showed just how he could chase down the run rate of ten an over against New Zealand last evening. With Mark Boucher and Shaun Pollock coming in lower down the order, shows the formidable batting line up of the Proteas.

The Durban track will surely give some advantage to the fast bowlers and that gives South Africa an extra edge. But Indian skipper Dhoni reckons the team is under no pressure, but when the two teams take the field, there'll surely be butterflies in the stomach for many. The pitch offered a bit to the seamers, but batsmen will likely to flourish again as small ground and quick outfield will certainly add to the number of runs scored in the match.