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15 of the 22 players expected to take the field in Guyana’s Providence Stadium today, for the second semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, featured in this very fixture, with the same odds and same stakes, a couple of years ago in Adelaide.
India and England met for a place in the final, and the latter emerged victorious. That was not a surprise, considering how England – the eventual champions – played in that competition. What came as a shocker was the manner of defeat – India, in a rather demeaning fashion, succumbed to a 10-wicket loss.
Having avenged 19 November 2023 only three days ago, with a 24-run triumph over Australia, India’s next target is to avenge 10 November 2022. Before they attempt to do so, let us have a look at five key player battles you should keep an eye on:
Australia’s attempts to exploit Rohit Sharma’s vulnerability to left-arm pacers fell flat, as the Indian captain launched a fierce attack against Mitchell Starc, essentially knocking the wind out of the Aussies’ sails before they could devise a contingency plan.
Sharma is expected to face another left-arm pacer in this match, in Reece Topley, albeit he could encounter more troubles against his former Mumbai Indians teammate, Jofra Archer.
Moreover, during his Rajasthan Royals days, Archer bowled five deliveries to Sharma and two of those resulted in the Hitman’s wicket. Notably, one of those deliveries – back in 2018 – saw Archer getting Sharma out on a golden duck.
To face England’s spinners, Virat Kohli will first have to navigate the initial overs of the pacers – something he has not been doing successfully in this competition. Yet, considering he has never lost his wicket to Jofra Archer, Reece Topley and Sam Curran in T20I cricket, the Indians fans have every reason to be optimistic.
Having faced 68 deliveries of Rashid, Kohli has scored only 72 runs at a strike rate of 105.9 – underscoring his troubles. Rashid also has form on his side, being currently the joint-highest wicket-taker for England with nine scalps.
Rohit Sharma’s pyrotechnics meant India did not require the services of Hardik Pandya at the death against Australia. If the scenario changes, Pandya is poised to propel the inaugural champions to a formidable total, especially considering his matchup against Chris Jordan.
Jordan has conceded 106 runs off 54 deliveries against Pandya. Albeit he did manage to get the Indian vice-captain’s wicket on three occasions, a strike rate of 196.3 might hand Pandya a psychological edge, should the duo square off today.
Jos Buttler has done Jos Buttler things in this edition’s T20 World Cup. Amid a middling campaign, a scintillating 38-ball 83 against the USA saw him attaining rhythm exactly when England wanted him to, and with 191 runs, he is currently England’s leading run-scorer.
There is something idiosyncratic about the Kuldeep Yadav-Moeen Ali matchup. The Indian left-arm wrist spinner is in sublime form, having scalped seven wickets in three features. On what is almost certain to be a spin-friendly track in Guyana, Kuldeep will be in business.
And, against the English top-order, he could prove to be lethal. The dynamic, however, could change when Moeen Ali comes to the crease. The English all-rounder has always found ways to nullify any and every threat Yadav has, accentuated by his incredible strike rate of 240 against the spinner in IPL. Across the three formats, Yadav has dismissed Ali only once in international cricket.
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