T20 World Cup semi-final: Team India to break the stigma of losing in the knockout
Two steps away from the title, there will be no room for error when the Indian team takes on England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup here on Thursday. India have outperformed England in the group stage but that is a thing of the past. England’s star all-rounder Ben Stokes has already admitted that he has not been at his best. The Indian team will have to ensure that Jos Buttler and Stokes do not return to form in the semi-final match.
The history of the last few years in ICC tournaments is also not in India’s favor. The Indian team has not been able to cross the last two stage hurdles since 2013. She lost in the final of the 2014 T20 World Cup and in the semi-finals of the 2016 T20 World Cup. Rohit Sharma has played all these matches but he was not the captain, so there is no burden of the past on his chest on the most important phase of captaincy.
Rohit, who suffered a side injury during practice, will be looking to play a fine innings by forgetting the physical pain. So far he has been able to score only 89 runs in five matches. He may not have a golden opportunity from the semi-finals to answer his critics. Virat Kohli will once again face arch-rival Adil Rashid while Suryakumar Yadav will be tested against Sam Curran’s cutters. Stokes will face Hardik Pandya’s all-rounder potential.
The spectators will get a whole lot of thrill in the clash of the top two teams of the world. Cricket fans across the world want to watch the final of India and Pakistan at the MCG on Sunday but both India and Pakistan have lost the semi-finals of the 1987 ODI World Cup. The Indian team won four matches in the Super 12 stage but Dinesh Karthik could not deliver the best and Rishabh Pant at No. 5 was confused whether to play offensive or defensive.
Short boundaries and the presence of Rashid make Pant a better option but it remains to be seen whether Rahul Dravid’s Karthik disillusionment. Akshar Patel 9. He has taken only three wickets at an average of 10 but the Indian team management has not fielded Yuzvendra Chahal in his place. Helping the spinners, Chahal can prove to be very useful on this pitch.
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If the fastest bowler of the tournament, Mark Wood, is unable to play due to injury, it will be good for India as Chris Jordan or Tymal Mills do not have that pace.Stokes and Curran have bowled well in the tournament and they would like India to bat first. A score of 170 on Adelaide will be considered good and Rohit will have to give India a good start along with Karthik or Pant.
Teams: India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Deepak Hooda, Harshal Patel, Rishabh Pant, Yuzvendra Chahal. England: Jos Buttler (captain), Ben Stokes, Alex Hales, Harry Brooke, Phil Salt, David Malan, Sam Curran, Mark Wood, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, David Willey. Match Time: 1 pm. From 30.
