Durban: It is a good wager that there are only a few disbelievers left about the impact of T20 cricket around the world, especially in India. A young side from India, fuelled by immense self-belief and a never-say-die attitude, has managed to convert a vast majority of the skeptics with a string of fine performances against Pakistan, England and South Africa on its way to the semifinal of the ICC World Twenty20 tournament.

On Saturday, a fearless India takes on a confident Australian side that will be without its captain Ricky Ponting and has come across as vulnerable against any team that has believed that the world's most feared squad can be beaten. Australia has had a very up and down tournament, losing to Zimbabwe in the first round and Pakistan in the Super Eights.

But like a champion side, it has picked itself up after each loss and beaten its next opponent – England first and Sri Lanka – with a great deal of comfort to make its way forward. England was blown away by 50 runs and Sri Lanka by10 wickets as Australia warded off the threat of elimination twice and took a flight here from Cape Town.

"I would take a 10-wicket victory every time rather than worry about the other batsmen not getting a hit," coach Tim Nielsen said. "Our idea is to be at the peak of form and I am glad that we found that in the game against Sri Lanka in Cape Town. I am also aware that India has a lot of enthusiastic youngsters who are relishing the opportunity to play for the country."

India has won all three games at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground and can be expected to lock horns with Australia as its equal rather than underdog. "We definitely know the wicket and the conditions here in Kingsmead," said India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "If there is grass on the surface, we won't really panic. We have an advantage in that we have played three games here, but ultimately, it all depends on how well you play that day."

Nobody gave India a chance of making it to the last four, let alone topping group E where the other teams were England, South Africa and New Zealand – all of whom had embraced T20 earlier and with a lot more passion than India has shown until its team came to the ICC World Twenty20 event. But the Indians have shown a passion and intensity to surprise everyone.

"We do not fear anyone and are confident of staying in the tournament," allrounder Irdan Pathan said, showcasing the self-belief that the side has exuded in the tournament. Dhoni said the thought of picking a semifinal opponent did not even cross his mind when India was steam rolling South Africa on Thursday night. It showed that India was not averse to playing Australia in the semifinal.

The teams:
Australia (from): Adam Gilchrist (captain and wicket-keeper), Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Andrew Symonds, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Brad Haddin and Ben Hilfenhaus.

India (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wicket-keeper), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehewag, Robin Uthaappa, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Joginder Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, S Sreesanth, RP Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Ajit Agarkar, Yusuf Pathan and Piyush Chawla.

Durban: It is a good wager that there are only a few disbelievers left about the impact of T20 cricket around the world, especially in India. A young side from India, fuelled by immense self-belief and a never-say-die attitude, has managed to convert a vast majority of the skeptics with a string of fine performances against Pakistan, England and South Africa on its way to the semifinal of the ICC World Twenty20 tournament.

On Saturday, a fearless India takes on a confident Australian side that will be without its captain Ricky Ponting and has come across as vulnerable against any team that has believed that the world's most feared squad can be beaten. Australia has had a very up and down tournament, losing to Zimbabwe in the first round and Pakistan in the Super Eights.

But like a champion side, it has picked itself up after each loss and beaten its next opponent – England first and Sri Lanka – with a great deal of comfort to make its way forward. England was blown away by 50 runs and Sri Lanka by10 wickets as Australia warded off the threat of elimination twice and took a flight here from Cape Town.

"I would take a 10-wicket victory every time rather than worry about the other batsmen not getting a hit," coach Tim Nielsen said. "Our idea is to be at the peak of form and I am glad that we found that in the game against Sri Lanka in Cape Town. I am also aware that India has a lot of enthusiastic youngsters who are relishing the opportunity to play for the country."

India has won all three games at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground and can be expected to lock horns with Australia as its equal rather than underdog. "We definitely know the wicket and the conditions here in Kingsmead," said India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "If there is grass on the surface, we won't really panic. We have an advantage in that we have played three games here, but ultimately, it all depends on how well you play that day."

Nobody gave India a chance of making it to the last four, let alone topping group E where the other teams were England, South Africa and New Zealand – all of whom had embraced T20 earlier and with a lot more passion than India has shown until its team came to the ICC World Twenty20 event. But the Indians have shown a passion and intensity to surprise everyone.

"We do not fear anyone and are confident of staying in the tournament," allrounder Irdan Pathan said, showcasing the self-belief that the side has exuded in the tournament. Dhoni said the thought of picking a semifinal opponent did not even cross his mind when India was steam rolling South Africa on Thursday night. It showed that India was not averse to playing Australia in the semifinal.

The teams:
Australia (from): Adam Gilchrist (captain and wicket-keeper), Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Andrew Symonds, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Brad Haddin and Ben Hilfenhaus.

India (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wicket-keeper), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehewag, Robin Uthaappa, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Joginder Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, S Sreesanth, RP Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Ajit Agarkar, Yusuf Pathan and Piyush Chawla.