27 June,2024 01:32 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Rohit Sharma and his men look the stronger bunch for the conditions expected at the Providence Stadium and look primed for revenge (Pic: AFP)
With a refreshingly aggressive batting approach, India would look to avoid the knockout stage jitters plaguing them for over a decade when they take on defending champions England in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2024 on Thursday.
The last time these two teams met at this stage, it turned out to be a no contest as England outplayed an outdated India in the 2022 edition's semifinal. However, India have finally been able to shed their conservative approach at the top of the order since that 10-wicket hammering in Adelaide and have become the team to beat in this competition.
On paper, Rohit Sharma and his men look the stronger bunch for the conditions expected at the Providence Stadium and look primed for revenge. The spinners have enjoyed bowling here since the opening game and the likes of India's Kuldeep Yadav and England's Adil Rashid would be itching to flaunt their skills in the knock-out fixture. Spinners are not the only ones who will come into play, the pacers too have got success at the venue with Afghanistan speedster Fazalhaq Farooqi producing a match-winning spell against New Zealand at the start of the competition.
Interestingly, no match has been staged here since June 8 when the West Indies breezed past Uganda in a day game, giving the curators extra time to prepare a suitable pitch for the high-profile game. India were clinical in the T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 stage but the extreme pressure of a semi-final tends to produce unforced errors. At the top of the order, India will be hoping for runs from the bat of Virat Kohli, who has had an underwhelming tournament by his high standards.
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On the contrary, his opening partner and skipper Rohit has set the benchmark for other batters when it comes to fearless cricket. His blazing 41-ball 92 against Australia is the sort of knock that won't be easily forgotten for some time to come. For both Rohit and Kohli, it is probably their last shot at winning the T20 world title in India colours and the two would be desperate to leave a mark.
Rohit has already made it clear that he intends to go ballistic in the powerplays without a care for personal milestones, which was evident in the game against Australia. Shivam Dube has not batted as per expectations in the middle-order and it will be interesting to see how he fares against wily leg-spinner Rashid.
India are likely to go unchanged into the game even though they have Yuzvendra Chahal in the squad who can come in handy against England's right-handers including Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook and Jonny Bairstow. Chahal is yet to get a game in this competition and it is set to remain that way with India expected to continue the trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep, who was the team's trump card in Super 8s.
Jasprit Bumrah is in a league of his own and England will need to do something special to score off him. Hardik Pandya's all-round show has helped India immensely thus far and the management will be hoping it stays that way. England, on the other hand, have not had the smoothest of campaigns. They stuttered into Super 8s where they lost to South Africa before turning things around. Skipper Buttler was back among the runs against USA in England's final Super 8 game and considering the familiarity with the Indian attack, he is well-placed to come up with a game-changing knock.
His opening partner Phil Salt can take the game away from opposition very quickly and India will need to dismiss him in the powerplay. More runs are expected from Bairstow and Moeen Ali, whose off-spin could be useful against India's left-handers. Liam Livingstone, who bowls both leg and off spin, too can bowl his full quota of overs like he did against USA the other night.
Rashid's four overs can also prove decisive in the all-important fixture. In his first high-profile event since returning from injury, pacer Jofra Archer has done well in the seven games so far and would be backing himself to trouble Rohit and Kohli with the new ball.
Having taken a hat-trick in the last game, the confidence of Chris Jordan too will be sky high. "Obviously, when we left England a few weeks ago, we left to come and obviously try and defend the title. There's been a few bumps in the road along the way, but I think you kind of described them as good bumps because they've really narrowed down our focus and really made our direction really clear," said Jordan after the win over USA.
There is also a likelihood of rain impacting the game with chances of showers in the lead up to the semi-final and also on match day.
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, 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 Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
Wicketkeepers: Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Rishabh Pant
Batsmen: Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (c), Moeen Ali
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Adil Rashid, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh
England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Will Jacks
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.
England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley.
England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bowl first against India.
1: 30 PM: ENG: 103/10 (16.3)
Jasprit Bumrah strikes the final wicket. With this win, Team India has qualified for the finals of the T20 World Cup 2024.
1: 26 PM: ENG: 100/9 (16)
Liam Livingstone loses his wicket in miscommunication with Jofra Archer. All of England's batsmen have returned to the pavilion.
1: 18 PM: ENG: 77/7 (14)
England keeps losing wickets at regular intervals. No comeback for the side as Indian bowlers are dominating the innings.
1: 08 PM: ENG: 71/6 (12)
Kuldeep dismisses set batsman Harry Brook. Jadeja on the other end, is keeping things tight.
12: 58 PM: ENG: 62/5 (10)
Kuldeep Yadav gets his first wicket. Sam Curran misses and the ball hits his pads. The Englishmen are in huge trouble.
12: 52 PM: ENG: 49/4 (8)
England are still on the back foot. Rishabh Pant stumped Moeen Ali in Axar Patel's over.
12: 42 PM: ENG: 39/3 (6)
Jasprit Bumrah picks the wicket of Phil Salt. England is losing its grip on the match. Axar after dismissing Buttler, picks the wickets of new batsman Jonny Bairstow.
12: 32 PM: ENG: 33/1 (4)
Axar Patel comes into attack and strikes the wicket of England skipper Buttler on the very first ball.
12: 24 PM: ENG: 13/0 (2)
Jos Buttler and Phil Salt look in fine touch. England reach 13 runs after two overs.
12: 04 PM: IND: 171/7 (20)
Team India posts a total of 171 runs on board against England in the semi-final two of the T20 World Cup 2024. Rohit Sharma was the highest run-scorer for the side as he scored 57 runs.
11: 52 PM: IND: 147/6 (18)
Pandya departs after scoring 23 runs. Shivam Dube, too returned to the pavilion just on the very next ball.
11: 40 PM: IND: 126/4 (16)
Hardik Pandya displays an aggressive approach after entering the field. Suryakumar Yadav departs on 47 runs.
11: 32 PM: IND: 113/3 (14)
Rohit Sharma returned to the pavilion after scoring 57 runs. Suryakumar on the other hand continues to strike boundaries.
11: 22 PM: IND: 91/2 (12)
Rohit and Suryakumar look to improve India's run flow.
11: 15 PM: IND: 77/2 (10)
Rohit and Suryakumar slow down India's innings after resuming the play. India are 77 runs for the loss of two wickets after 10 overs.
9: 52 PM: IND: 65/2 (8)
Set Rohit continues to find boundaries. Suryakumar Yadav on the other hand, continues to rotate the strike.
9: 44 PM: IND: 46/2 (6)
Rishabh Pant departs in Sam Curran's over. Suryakumar Yadav comes in to take control of India's innings along with Rohit.
9: 34 PM: IND: 29/1 (4)
Rishabh Pant joins Rohit in the middle. The duo look to stabilize the innings after the early loss of Kohli's wicket.
9: 26 PM: IND: 19/1 (2.4)
Virat Kohli returns to the pavilion in Reece Topley's over. Facing nine balls, Kohli scored nine runs including 1 six.
9: 24 PM: IND: 11/0 (2)
England's lead pacer Jofra Archer comes into attack. Kohli and Rohit are showing an aggressive approach against the English bowlers.
9: 20 PM: IND: 6/0 (1)
Captain Rohit Sharma finds the boundary in the first over. Team India reaches 6 runs after the first over.
