Two years ago, England gave India an epic thrashing in the second T20 World Cup semifinal. A humiliating 10-wicket defeat after winning 4 of their 5 previous matches. On July 27, Rohit Sharma’s team faces the same side in the second semifinal. Of all the talk about that ODI World Cup Final loss, in many ways, the drubbing at the hands of Jos Buttler’s England was worse. That loss is one of the reasons we see this ‘new’ Indian team, which is looking to tear down opposition bowlers with their aggressive intent.
In the India vs England semifinal, the Men in Blue won’t only be hunting for their first ICC title in 2013 but also looking to avenge that loss from two years ago. Unlike Team India, the Three Lions aren’t coming unscathed. Despite a washed-out game against Scotland and losses to big teams in Australia and South Africa, England have made it through. The white-ball juggernaut isn’t what it was from 2017 to 2022. Will Jos Buttler’s hit-and-miss batting lineup and out-of-form bowlers be able to take down the winning Indian machine?
Samson to come in for Dube/Jadeja?
Plenty of questions are being raised about Ravindra Jadeja’s performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He’s been constantly outperformed by Axar Patel in all three departments. Considered the best fielder in the side, he dropped a fairly comfortable catch against Australia. Axar has more runs, wickets, and catches than him. But his utility can’t be undermined.
On a spin-friendly wicket, he can be a menace, and he has been a proven finisher with more experience than any options available. Of course, Rohit Sharma would have liked for him to score more and claim more scalps, but at the end of the day, he provides incredible flexibility to the team and can win the game on his own in three departments.
Shivam Dube has been similarly perplexing. Brought in to take on the spinners in the middle overs, he has a strike rate of 123.68 against the tweakers. He’s also significantly worse against the fast bowlers in the ongoing T20 World Cup, scoring under a run-a-ball against them. But, like the case with Jadeja, the tall southpaw batter can change the momentum within minutes. His brute force and handy medium pace are a combination that not many have.
Although a case can be made for Sanju Samson as well, the question is: would Rohit Sharma be willing to alter the playing XI against England in a semifinal match when the same team has done so well in the Super 8?
Predicted India Playing XI vs BAN
1. Rohit Sharma (c)
2. Virat Kohli
3. Rishabh Pant (wk)
4. Suryakumar Yadav
5. Shivam Dube
6. Hardik Pandya (vc)
7. Ravindra Jadeja
8. Axar Patel
9. Kuldeep Yadav
10. Arshdeep Singh
11. Jasprit Bumrah
