Middle order hold the key to Australia's success

The love that Indian fans have for T20 is something to see. We cannot forget that the format really exploded into what it is now off the back of India winning the first World T20 in South Africa in 2007. Back then, Australians tended to see it all as a bit of a hit-and-giggle affair. Being a shorter form of the game, it brought teams closer together.

What we realise now, however, is that there's a lot of preparation and planning that goes into what has become a very tactical game. New Zealand showed as much with a very strong opening display to upset India, making excellent use of spin bowling on a dry Nagpur pitch. India, of course, have gone into the tournament as hot favourites, so the country is understandably buzzing with expectation, a little bit like it was in 2011 before the 50-over World Cup.

To be in India for an event like that is an experience that can be intimidating for some, but it's one that you really need to grab hold of and enjoy. The love and the passion for the game you see all around you is amazing, and it is a matter of channelling that into your own performances, individually and as a team.

One thing with tournament play like a World Cup is, you've got to be peaking at the right end of the competition. That's something you have to get right with T20: you've got to be constantly improving, and then playing your best cricket when the business end arrives. That's an important part of preparation, making sure you're building to being able to play the cricket you need to at the pointy end of the event.

When I've been involved in assembling T20 teams in the past, I've always been an advocate for power at the top of the order, with class players in the middle to control the overs, before you get into another bank of hitters and allrounders further down. That's the sort of T20 batting line-up I like to see, and in the case of Australia, I think they've got that sort of mix this time around.

Experienced and composed captains like Mike Hussey or Misbah-ul-Haq are often successful because they keep thinking clearly about what's in front of them

From a bowling point of view, it is now very well established among T20 tacticians that impact in the first six overs is absolutely critical. There is a very strong statistical argument for the fact that teams win around 80% of games if they can take three or more wickets in that initial six-over period. So it is vital that you don't allow the defensive skills of the game to overshadow your efforts to take early wickets. Nathan Coulter-Nile provided a good example of this in South Africa before the Australians got to India, bowling for wickets with the new ball.

Added to this is T20's tendency to place a lot of pressure on a captain to think quickly in the field. Experienced and composed captains - like Mike Hussey for Sydney Thunder in the BBL or Misbah-ul-Haq in the PSL - are often successful because they keep thinking clearly about what's in front of them. They sum up scenarios rapidly, and find ways to remain one step ahead of the game.

MS Dhoni has come to epitomise that kind of captaincy at international level for India, while in Steven Smith, Australia have a leader of similar ability. It's the sort of game where you haven't got time to second-guess yourself. You've got to trust yourself to keep moving forward with the game in a proactive manner, and take the good with the bad. Sometimes it won't go your way, so you've just got to think on your feet and keep going.

Steven has shown his willingness to take a strong line on how to attack in this World T20 in the decision to move his deputy David Warner down the order. Warner, Smith and Glenn Maxwell in the middle order are an excellent trio for the conditions they are likely to face. Given how prominent spin bowling is set to be, strike rotation becomes so important.

Batting sides can't afford to let spinners build up sequences of dot balls, while at the same time realising that the option of hitting their way out of pressure situations with fours and sixes will be much higher risk than it might be in Australia or England. Having Warner in the middle, whether at Nos. 3 or 4, offers Australia the opportunity to play an uptempo game through the middle overs, where they can run between wickets quickly, put pressure on fielders and not allow spinners to build dot-ball pressure.

That means we are less likely to see the sorts of collapses that took place in the recent T20 series against India, where after a good start the Australian middle order was often looking for the release of a four or a six before getting established. Rotating the strike and playing an uptempo game while waiting for the right opportunities to swing for the fences is the smart approach for this tournament.

Shane Watson, Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja are all terrific top-order options with plenty of power, and with a solid middle order behind them they will be free to attack from the word go. Further down, Smith, Warner and Maxwell will be able to put pressure on the spinners with running between the wickets and handy placement, which is always likely to result in a few more balls that can be hit over the top as the bowlers feel the need to try other things.

This approach also has the potential to decrease the sense of claustrophobia you can feel in India batting under pressure, when the opposition and the noisy crowds can seem like they're virtually on top of you. Warner and Smith have played a lot of cricket in front of big crowds and are world-class players, and they shouldn't get sucked into those external pressures. They'll play the situation.

One thing I don't think Australia should be burdened by is the national team's past record at the event. This is one tournament where it is very difficult to judge by what's gone before. Form lines going into World T20 events are hard to find simply because teams don't play too much T20 outside global events. In Australia's case, the T20 player of the year was not even awarded on Allan Border Medal night this year because they had only played one game in the voting period.

There is no doubt that Australian cricketers take T20 far more seriously now than we used to, and the kind of thinking I'm seeing from Smith and coach Darren Lehmann suggests they may be about to cause a surprise or two.