SYDNEY (AP) — Rohit Sharma’s resurgent India lineup will take on England for a spot in the Tweny20 World Cup final, aiming to finish the tournament where it started: at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground.
India didn’t qualify for the playoff stage at the 2021 edition in the United Arab Emirates, forcing changes in the setup and the team’s approach to the tournament.
It had an early impact, with Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 82 inspiring India to a last-ball win over archrival Pakistan in a high-octane encounter in front of more than 90.000 fans at the MCG on Oct. 23.
India’s only loss in the group stage was against South Africa on a bouncy wicket in Perth. Victories over Bangladesh, Netherlands and Zimbabwe secured top spot in Group 2 for India and a spot in Thursday’s semifinal in Adelaide.
Suryakumar Yadav, the No. 1-ranked batter in T20 cricket, has led the strike-rate charts with 193.97 after five games. He has scored 225 runs, including three half-centuries.
The rejuvenated Kohli leads the run-scoring charts with 246 runs, including three half-centuries as well.
Lokesh Rahul has also rediscovered form going into the semifinals, with back-to-back half-centuries against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the Super 12 stage.
“A tournament like this is split into two parts. It is an opportunity for us (to win the World Cup),” said Sharma, who has long spoken of his ambition to help India lift its first ICC trophy since 2013. “It has been a long process for us, and we will stick to the same process.”
England was the favorite to finish atop Group 1, but it had to overcome hurdles to qualify for the semifinals.
In a stunning reversal, it lost to Ireland in a rain-affected game by 5 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. Then its highly anticipated match against Australia was washed out at the MCG.
England came through in the last two games, beating New Zealand in Brisbane and edging Sri Lanka in Sydney. That was just enough to edge into second spot behind New Zealand and narrowly ahead of 2021 champion Australia afer all three teams equal on points.
Openers Alex Hales and Jos Buttler have been in fine form, scoring 125 and 119 runs from four games, respectively.
The England middle order is struggling though, with Ben Stokes the top scorer in four games with a mere 58 runs.
Dawid Malan, the former No. 1-ranked T20 batter, has 56 runs in four games and could be in doubt for the semifinals because of a groin injury sustained against Sri Lanka. Paceman Mark Wood had stiffness but was expected to be ready for the playoffs.
England captain Jos Buttler said he’d give Malan and Wood as long as possible to prove their fitness.
If Malan were to be ruled out, it would likely mean Stokes bats at No. 3 in the semifinal.
It would also mean more would be expected of big-hitting Liam Livingstone, who has scored 54 runs in four innings.
India also has form and injury concerns over skipper Sharma, who has tallied just 89 runs in five innings. He took a blow to the arm during practice but on Wednesday said it was just bruising and “it's absolutely fine now.”
England hasn’t played in Adelaide in this tournament, while India beat Bangladesh here in its penultimate group game. The pitch is expected to be batter-friendly, with no rain on the forecast.
Unlike the other test match venues in Australia, the square boundaries at the Adelaide Oval are short, ranging from 55-65 meters, and are a prime target for big-hitting batsmen on both sides.
Buttler had no concerns that the semifinal game will be played on a previously used wicket.
“At the moment, I have no worries about the pitch. It looks like a wicket that will be consistent for 40 overs,” he said.
The batting intent will put more focus on a major contest between two left-arm fast bowlers. England’s Sam Curran and India’s Arshdeep Singh have both picked 10 wickets each in the Super 12 stage.
While Curran enjoys support from Wood, who has picked nine wickets bowling at high pace, India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami have struggled at times. Hardik Pandya is its most effective bowler in overs 7-15, picking eight wickets.
India’s major headache is the form of its spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel. The duo hasn’t bowled a complete quota of overs in any game, sharing only nine wickets in five matches, and adding to speculation that wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal could come into the XI in place of Patel.
India has won 12 out of 22 T20 matches against 50-over World Cup champion England, including the last four. The winner in Adelaide will meet either New Zealand or Pakistan in the final at the MCG on Sunday.
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