Abu Dhabi - The last time India and England faced off in a Men’s T20 World Cup semifinal was 19 months ago in Adelaide, where a stunning opening partnership between Jos Buttler and Alex Hales led England to a dominant victory, prompting India to rethink their T20 strategy.
This time, India comes armed with greater batting firepower, more options in the middle overs, and a varied attack. However, the defending champions will be tough to beat, especially with Buttler and his new opening partner Phil Salt in exceptional form.
England is two games away from becoming the first men’s team to retain a T20 World Cup title. India, meanwhile, is searching for their first T20 World Cup win since the tournament’s inception in 2007 and their first World Cup victory in any format since 2011.
The Guyana National Stadium, a 20,000-seater venue on the outskirts of Georgetown, near the Demerara River, will host this high-stakes clash. This is the sixth and final game at the venue during the tournament, with spinners and quicks both finding success on the ground. The highest score in the first five games was Afghanistan’s 183/5 against Uganda.
India has been dominant, winning all their matches except for an abandoned fixture against Canada due to rain in Lauderhill. Impressive wins over Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Australia secured their spot in the knockout stages as the winners of Group 1 in the Super Eight.
England had a tougher path to the semifinals. Their campaign started with a rained-off match against Scotland, followed by a loss to Australia, leaving them needing big wins and favorable outcomes to advance. They managed to qualify ahead of Scotland on Net Run Rate. In the Super Eight, a loss to South Africa caused some anxiety, but a crucial victory over hosts West Indies and a dominant win over the USA helped them secure their spot.
India has maintained a settled side throughout their Super Eight campaign, adding Kuldeep Yadav in place of Mohammed Siraj. They are likely to continue with this balance, offering six frontline bowling options with three pacers and three spinners. However, Yuzvendra Chahal might be included for additional spin on the expected Guyana surface.
England shifted from a batting-heavy lineup, opting for four frontline pace bowlers, with Sam Curran and Chris Jordan in the lower order. Mark Wood missed out, but England might consider bringing back Will Jacks for part-time spin or debuting Tom Hartley, an additional main spinner. Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone provide spin options within the top six.
SQUADs
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, Mohd. 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.