Ahead of the second semifinal clash between India and England in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup, former England cricketer Paul Collingwood said that he does not see Men in Blue losing this time, unlike the 2022 edition semifinal, pointing out that England will have to do “something extraordinary” to beat them. It will be a rematch of the semifinal from the 2022 edition of the tournament as a red-hot Team India will meet England in the second semifinal of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup at Guyana on Thursday. The last time these two nations faced off in a Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final was just 19 months ago in Adelaide, when a remarkable opening partnership between Jos Buttler and Alex Hales saw England cruise to 10 wicket win that forced a complete rethink in India’s T20 strategy and move away from more established superstars to younger blood, from conservatism to aggression.
This time around, though, India has more batting firepower led by experienced campaigners skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, more attacking options through the middle overs, and more variation in their attack, but the defending champions will take some beating, especially with skipper Jos Buttler and his new opening partner Phil Salt both in blistering form. Also, Indian bowlers are in mighty fine form, especially the pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.
Speaking on the Star Sports Press Room, Collingwood said, “India, with their well-rounded squad, stands out. Particularly Jasprit Bumrah’s current form. He is fit, accurate, fast, and highly skilled. No team seems to have an answer for him. In a 120-ball game, having someone like Bumrah with his pace for 24 balls makes a huge difference. India has looked confident even in tough situations and on difficult pitches in America. Their batters, like Rohit Sharma who played a magnificent innings against Australia, seem to be back in form. Honestly, I cannot see India losing this time. England will need something extraordinary to beat them.”
Collingwood said that England has a knack of upping their game during knockout stages and playing without fear or pressure. He said that England is still aggressive and with skipper Jos Buttler in great form and confidence, they are capable of achieving great things.
“Having a captain in such good form, with a positive attitude in the dressing room, makes a big difference. It creates a calmer atmosphere. The match-up will be magnificent, with both sides adopting an ultra-aggressive approach. The surface in Guyana will be crucial. On a flat pitch, England has the upper hand with their ability to overpower teams. However, a slow, turning pitch would favour India,” he concluded.
In the game against Australia during Super Eights, Rohit’s 92 helped India put up 205/5 on the board. They restricted Australia to 181/7 in their 20 overs, despite Travis Head’s counter-attacking 76 in 43 balls, with nine fours and four sixes. After Bangladesh’s loss to Afghanistan, Australia was eliminated from the tournament, getting just one win and facing two losses in Super Eights, including one to Afghanistan.
England is just two games away from making history and becoming the first men’s team to retain a T20 World Cup, as per ICC.
On the other hand, India has not won this tournament since its inception back in 2007, and is searching for its first World Cup win in any format since 2011’s 50-over tournament. India’s last ICC trophy was in 2013, when they captured the ICC Champions Trophy in England.
India squad: 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, Mohd. Siraj.
England squad: 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.
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