Suddenly, without warning, this Indian side has exploded with telling effect. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men arrived at the Twenty20 World Cup the least experienced in this version of all Test-playing nations. In less than a week, they have firmly established their Twenty20 credentials in no uncertain terms.

Playing catch-up after making a hash of a run chase at the Wanderers against New Zealand last Sunday, India twice managed supremely to sidestep the pressures of a must-win game. First against England, then more famously versus South Africa on Thursday, they showed an intensity and involvement that has shaken even hardened pros out of their disinterested reverie, and forced them to sit up and take notice.

Unfettered by the burden of expectations, armed with an attitude to die for and carrying the fierce desire to enjoy themselves, India have set the tournament afire through intelligence with bat and commitment on the field. Their reward for stunning back-to-back victories is a semifinal match-up against World champions Australia on Saturday, at what is rapidly becoming their favourite hunting ground.

It was at Kingsmead, exactly a week back, that India kick-started their World Cup campaign with a heart-stopping bowl-out victory against Pakistan. It was a result that instantaneously sent self-belief levels soaring. India have kept faith in their abilities since then, not even the Wanderers loss denting their confidence or fogging their focus.

Twenty20 is not so much about isolated shows of individual brilliance. It is more about collective contributions at crucial moments, and that is where India have stolen a march. Each game has thrown up a multitude of different heroes, though the common batting thread has been the captain himself and the common bowling link, the increasingly impressive Rudra Pratap Singh.

Dhoni has led by example, sizing up situations and versatile enough to change his natural game around, while RP Singh has been positively outstanding in every single game. At the first hint of favourable conditions, he scythed through the Protean top-order on Thursday. Saturday is unlikely to throw up as bowler-friendly a track as the previous game, but the feel-good factor which has come to sit lightly on his shoulders should spur the Uttar Pradesh left-arm paceman further.

Apart from other such obvious performers as Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma, India have had their heroes in openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, offie Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan, the last two quietly easing themselves back into international cricket minus the attendant hype and attention. There have been moments of incandescence in the field, though the catching has tended to border on the patchy.

India have been fortunate enough to find a man for each occasion. Neither the loss of Yuvraj for Thursday's game, nor Dhoni's back spasm that forced him to shed the keeping gloves, was a deterrent as they ploughed ahead like a juggernaut. Dhoni will certainly play on the morrow; a call on Yuvraj will be deferred till the last minute, and should he pull up fine, Robin Uthappa or Dinesh Kaarthick might miss out
Australia have had an ordinary, up-and-down tournament so far. That they have still made the semis is a tribute to their own determination, and a cause for concern for all opposition. Two losses in five games will hurt a fiercely proud side, now minus skipper Ricky Ponting as well as all-rounder Shane Watson for the remainder of the competition. Watson will miss the Indian tour also.

Stuart Clark with the ball, and openers Matthew Hayden and stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist, have been their stand-out performers. The all-pace attack should relish playing at Kingsmead, though their unfamiliarity with the venue will be compounded by the fact that India have played three of their four games here. Australia might suffer because the openers haven't allowed the middle-order a decent hit, though as they have shown in the past, that is not an obstacle they can't hurdle past.

Form and momentum are with India, but in a three-hour ultra-condensed game, they don't really count for much. Saturday should be a humdinger, two teams with a common goal set to go hammer and tongs at each other. Blink, and it might be all over!