MOHALI: Australia are confident their semi-final qualifier against India will be played on a "decent wicket" but must cope with a surface that will have received the wear and tear generated by a women's match directly before it.
Conditions are pivotal in Sunday night's World Twenty20 clash at the Punjab Cricket Association ground and the Australians are hoping for a pitch similar to the green-tinged one on which they defeated Pakistan here by 21 runs on Friday. 
The final Super 10 group stage showdown against India will centre around a pitch right next to Friday's strip and the first ball bowled will, in effect, be in the 41st over, due to the scheduling of the crucial women's game between India and West Indies in the afternoon.
Mohali doesn't have a reputation as a rank turner and Australia, their batting order finally settled and looking like a well-oiled machine against Pakistan, are banking on that ringing true on Sunday. It is generally assumed that slower or spinning conditions favour India but their batsmen struggled on such a surface against New Zealand in Nagpur and they, too, may appreciate the ball coming onto the bat more on Sunday. 
If that is the case, a recalled Aaron Finch is one batsman who will be well suited but retiring all-rounder Shane Watson believes he can fire no matter what is directed at him now that he's won his spot back at the business end of the Super 10 group stage.
"[Finch is] ranked No.1 in T20 as a batsman so he certainly knows how to click," Watson said. "The teams that have played him in the IPL, the Indian guys, know how to bowl to him like they know how to bowl to all of us as well, so they'll be trying to exploit our weaknesses," Watson said.
"But Aaron Finch is very devastating when he's at his absolute best so I'm very confident he will be able to bat at his absolute best against India. He knows their bowlers very well. I think it will be a decent wicket here."
Watson was shifted to No.6 to accommodate the return of Finch against Pakistan and blazed an unbeaten 44 from 21 balls to set up an ultimately unassailable target alongside captain Steve Smith. The 34-year-old says he's happy to be flexible.
"In the end, I know with the experience that I've had batting in a lot of different spots throughout my career, I am the most versatile batsmen in our line-up, to be able to move up and down the order," Watson said. 
"So whatever was required for the selectors and the captain to feel that they wanted certain guys in certain positions, it certainly worked [on Friday] there is no doubt about that."
Watson will retire from all international cricket after this tournament and could hardly wish for a bigger stage to issue a lasting reminder of his talent.
"From my personal perspective, to have the opportunity to play in what is hopefully not but what could be my last game ... this is, I suppose, as big a dream as you could imagine, playing India at home," he said. 
"It's certainly going to be a huge game and I'm going to be really excited for it."