India and Australia go head to head in a winners takes all Champions Trophy showdown in Mohali on Saturday.
Australia cruised to an easy victory against India to book their place in the Champions Trophy semi-finals and knock the hosts out of the tournament.
A semi-final place will be at stake in their most important meeting since the 2003 World Cup final.
Ricky Ponting's side won by six wickets after racing to their target of 250 with four overs to spare in Mohali.
Australia expect Shane Watson to be fit after a bout of gastritis but doubts remain about batsman Michael Clarke, who has a chest infection.
India compiled a modest 249-8 with Virender Sehwag scoring 65 and Rahul Dravid adding 52 off 63 balls.
India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh will miss the game after suffering a serious knee injury in practice.
But Australia's batting was too strong as Ponting (58), Shane Watson (50) and Damien Martyn (73 not out) starred.
"An MRI scan suggests a tear of his cruciate ligament and some bone bruising within the knee. It is too early to say how long he will take to recover," a team spokesman commented.
Either Mohammad Kaif or Dinesh Mongia will take over in the middle order for their first appearance of the competition and the diagnosis means Yuvraj could be doubtful for next March's World Cup in the Caribbean..
Australia will play New Zealand in Wednesday's semi-final in Mohali, while South Africa take on West Indies in Jaipur on Thursday.
The make-up of the two teams will depend on the pitch and neither captain will relish the same type of seamer-friendly surface which South Africa and Pakistan had to contend with at the PCA Stadium on Friday.
The last time there was no presence from a sub-continental country in the last four of a major tournament was the 1975 World Cup.
India have called paceman Sri Sreesanth into their squad to replace Ajit Agarkar, who fractured his left thumb while fielding against West Indies, and that could work to their advantage if another grassy surface is produced.
The home side will have a partisan crowd urging them on but skipper Rahul Dravid accepts they must raise their game significantly to overcome Australia, having lost six of their last seven one-day matches.
Australia's openers Adam Gilchrist and Watson launched the reply with a stand of 61 before wicket-keeper Gilchrist fell for 23 from 24 balls.
A big score from Sachin Tendulkar would be good news for India
Watson and Ponting took Australia through the 100-mark in just 14 overs and added 50 before Watson, who needed Gilchrist as a runner after suffering from cramp,was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Dinesh Mongia.
"I concede we have not done well because the batsmen have not performed, but this is their chance to come good," said Dravid.
Ponting eventually fell to a Sachin Tendulkar catch in the slips off seamer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth but Martyn, Andrew Symonds (20) and Michael Clarke (2 not out), had the luxury of guiding the Australians home.
"You can plan tactics and have a strategy, but at the end of the day cricket matches are won by performing on the field. We need to do that.
Sehwag laid the early foundations with 65 for India
"We need to score at least 250 here to bring pressure on the opposition."
India's total was modest given the state of the pitch, and though they batted carefully, they were unable to hit top gear, with Australia taking wickets at the right times.
Dravid's own form remains a worry, although his 49 against West Indies was a positive sign after four single figure scores, and Virender Sehwag's best in his last six innings was 17.
Veteran seamer Glenn McGrath was the pick of the Australian attack with 2-34 off 10, while fellow paceman Brett Lee, expensive in his first spell, fought back superbly for 2-54 and Nathan Bracken finished with 2-56.
"Scoring runs is my role, I've not had success as a batsman and it hasn't helped the team. At a personal level, it hurts if you don't contribute and the team loses," Dravid acknowledged.
India won the toss and Tendulkar and Sehwag began promisingly with a stand of 46 before Tendulkar, who took 13 balls to get off the mark, edged McGrath behind to Gilchrist for 10.
Neither he nor Sehwag can expect any favours from the likes of Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Nathan Bracken and Mitchell Johnson, whose three wickets against England may earn him another opportunity to impress ahead of the Ashes series.
Mongia and Sehwag built on the good work but were foiled after a stand of 43 when Mongia edged Watson to Michael Hussey at slip for 18.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes a high-pressure contest is exactly what his team needs and insisted they would not "psyched out" by concerns about conditions.
India's run rate slowed as Australia shuffled their bowlers, changing the angle of attack, but Sehwag crafted 37 with Dravid before he was trapped lbw by Mitchell Johnson in the 29th over.
"We are going to find ourselves facing a sudden-death scenario at some stage during the World Cup [next year], so the more we can test ourselves under those circumstances, the better off we will be," he said.
Dravid kept the scoreboard ticking in a stand of 60 with Mohammad Kaif (30) before holing out to Clarke at mid-wicket off Lee.
"We have managed to play really well in bigger games and this is going to be a very big game - having to defeat India on home soil to keep alive our chances to win the Champions Trophy for the first time.
And two overs later, Lee, who was back on song after conceding 43 runs in his first six-over spell, ripped through Kaif's middle stump.
"We have had an unusually long break of eight days between matches, but that means we should be better prepared for this game."
India tried to hit the accelerator but Suresh Raina was caught in the deep by Watson off Nathan Bracken for 13 after adding 27 runs with Mahendra Dhoni.
When the two teams last met in India during the triangular TVS Cup in 2003, Australia won three of the four matches played, including the final in Calcutta.
McGrath struck again late on to remove Irfan Pathan (10), caught by Martyn, and Dhoni was out lbw to Bracken with the last ball for 28.
But if India play to their full potential, there is no doubt they have the ability to send them home early and delight their millions of supporters by progressing to the last four.
Australia (from): Ricky Ponting (capt), Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Dan Cullen, Adam Gilchrist, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shane Watson, Andrew Symonds.
