The T20 World Cup semifinal between India and defending champions England promises to be a high-stakes encounter. India is known for their aggressive batting approach, which they have used to try to get over their recent stage fright in the knockout phase. England had comprehensively outplayed India in the 2022 edition’s semifinal the last time these two teams met at this stage.
However, since then India has thrown caution to the wind at the top of the order and emerged as a serious protagonist in this tournament.
On paper, Rohit Sharma’s side seems stronger than them when it comes to conditions expected at Providence Stadium and they will look to get even.
The spinners have had some success on this ground starting from the opening game so both Kuldeep Yadav of India and Adil Rashid of England would be keen to show their mettle in this do-or-die match. The pacers are also known to have done well here with Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi being exceptional against New Zealand earlier in this contest.
It is worth noting that no matches have been played on the field since June 8th meaning that curators have had enough time to prepare an ideal pitch for such a prestigious match. Whereas India were clinical during Super 8 stage, semis are known for unforced errors under extreme pressure.
India would expect Virat Kohli to perform up front as has been his standards but he has had a disappointing tournament thus far.
On the other hand, his partner at top order and captain Rohit set an example of audacious cricket with his fiery 41-ball-92 against Australia.
For these two players though, it could be their last chance of winning the T20 world cup wearing Indian blues hence they would not like to go down easily. Rohit on his part already said that he will not worry about runs scored in powerplays while batting first.
India is likely not to change their side with Yuzvendra Chahal standing a chance of not getting into the starting XI. England will have to contend with Jasprit Bumrah’s red-hot form whereas India has been lifted by Hardik Pandya’s all-round abilities.
On the other hand, England had a rough start but made amends in the Super 8s. Jos Buttler who bashed USA back to form is a good sign for his team and he knows how Indian attack operates.
The quick game changer tag on Phil Salt is something which may give India some sleepless nights and he must be dismissed early. Some more runs are expected from Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali whose off-spin might come in handy against India’s left-handers.
Liam Livingstone can bowl both leg and off spin thus there are chances that he will complete his quota of overs while Adil Rashid may play four overs in this deciding match as well. Jofra Archer’s comeback after an injury lay-off has been impressive and he could cause problems for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during powerplays.
Chris Jordan would be full of confidence after claiming three wickets on successive deliveries in the last match. This high-stakes affair is complicated by rain possibility for it might affect its outcome or even spoil it altogether
Teams:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali , Jofra Archer , Jonathan Bairstow , Harry Brook , Sam Curran , Ben Duckett , Tom Hartley , Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingston,e Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, and Mark Woods.
