Imperfect rivals look for the perfect night: India, England clash in third straight T20 World Cup semifinal

MUMBAI: India and England will clash in their third consecutive T20 World Cup semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday night. Both sides have one win each in their previous knockout meetings, with the victor on both occasions going on to lift the trophy.

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England thrashed India by 10 wickets in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal, chasing 170 with openers Alex Hales (86 not out) and Jos Buttler (80 not out) dominating on a flat Adelaide pitch. Two years later in Providence, India avenged that defeat with a 68-run victory as spinners Kuldeep Yadav (3-19) and Axar Patel (3-28) bowled England out for 103 in 16.4 overs.

India had beaten England 4-1 in a five-match T20I series last January, sealing it with a 150-run win at the Wankhede. However, the stakes are much higher in a World Cup semifinal.

Both teams enter the match with confidence, though England appear to have greater momentum after winning all three of their Super 8 matches against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand. India, meanwhile, will be looking to defy history — no defending champion has retained the T20 World Cup and no host nation has won the title. In fact, no defending champion has even reached the final in the subsequent edition.

India topped Group A alongside Pakistan and associate teams, winning all four league matches. However, their batting has looked vulnerable on slower pitches against spin. That was evident during a collapse against the United States at Wankhede, where the hosts slumped to 77-6 before captain Suryakumar Yadav rescued them with an unbeaten 84 off 49 balls.

England began their campaign with a narrow four-run win over Nepal at Wankhede, with Sam Curran defending 10 runs in the final over and Will Jacks producing a fine all-round effort.

They later lost to the West Indies by 30 runs at the same venue, where Sherfane Rutherford smashed 76 not out off 42 balls and the Caribbean spinners stifled England’s batting.

India’s Super 8 campaign started with a 76-run loss to South Africa in Ahmedabad. They bounced back by thrashing Zimbabwe by 72 runs in Chennai after posting 256 for four, and then beat the West Indies by five wickets at Eden Gardens, powered by Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 97 off 50 balls and Jasprit Bumrah’s double strike.

England, meanwhile, began the Super 8s with a 51-run win over Sri Lanka, bowling them out for 95. They followed it up with a twowicket victory against Pakistan, highlighted by captain Harry Brook’s blistering 100 off 51 balls and Liam Dawson’s 3-24. England sealed a semifinal berth with a four-wicket win over New Zealand.

Samson has been among India’s most consistent batters, in sharp contrast to opening partner Abhishek Sharma, who has managed just 80 runs in six matches at an average of 13.33, including three ducks.

His fifty against Zimbabwe remains his only significant contribution. The left-hander will hope to rediscover his touch at a venue where he once smashed 135 off 54 balls.

England too have concerns over their openers. Buttler has scored just 62 runs in seven matches at an average of 8.85, while Phil Salt has struggled for consistency apart from a 62 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. Samson, who has struggled against short-pitched bowling, and the out-of-form Abhishek could face a stern test from Jofra Archer in the powerplay.

However, Archer too has found Wankhede unforgiving, returning figures of 1-42 against Nepal and 1-48 against the West Indies.

Ishan Kishan has been quiet after a match-winning 77 off 40 balls against Pakistan in Colombo. However, he, along with Surya, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya — all former Mumbai Indians players — will be familiar with the Wankhede conditions.Tilak looked more comfortable after moving from No. 3 to No. 6, scoring 44 not out off 16 balls against Zimbabwe and 27 off 15 against West Indies.

India’s vulnerability against spin could again be tested by England’s attack comprising Adil Rashid, Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed and off-spinning allrounder Will Jacks. India will counter with Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel, though Varun has struggled for rhythm — a far cry from last year’s bilateral series against England when he claimed 14 wickets in five matches at an average of 9.85.