India vs Zimbabwe T20 world cup Rohit Sharma’s side could effectively already be through to the final four before a ball is bowled in Sunday’s late fixture at the MCG in Melbourne.

The other four teams in Group 2 all play earlier in the day in a double-header in Adelaide, meaning that India will know precisely the situation in the group even before their fifth and final Super 12 match.

Those permutations only come into play if India lose. Win and they will be heading to a semi-final against England in Adelaide

However, Zimbabwe’s win over Pakistan earlier in the tournament shows that it is no foregone conclusion that India will waltz to a win in Sunday’s conclusion of the Super 12.

“We know no team is a push-over, you will have to still go in there, counter the early pace with the bat and still bowl good balls to be able to generate pressure,” Ravichandran Ashwin told reporters on Saturday.

“It’s a must-win contest. We know that. Like in every other contest in this T20 World Cup, it’s a must-win encounter.

“So, we are looking forward to the game. Zimbabwe has played some wonderful cricket, so we can’t go in there and expect them to crumble. They bowled well and

Zimbabwe’s loss to Netherlands last time out has denied them an opportunity to push for a semi-final spot, but victory would have the benefit of securing a top-four group finish and therefore automatic qualification for the next ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

But more than anything, beating the giants of India would be historic as a standalone moment for a team who’ve shown real class in the tournament to-date.

“With the win against Pakistan, it’s given us a huge amount of belief that we can beat any side in the tournament,” Zimbabwe’s Craig Ervine said on Saturday.

“I don’t think that will change going into tomorrow’s game.

“How often do you get the opportunity to put Virat Kohli in your pocket? I’m pretty sure that our fast bowlers will be raring to go come tomorrow.”

Predicted Playing XIs

Zimbabwe: Craig Ervine (c), Regis Chakabva (wk), Wesley Madhevere, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Richard Ngarava, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani

India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh