Ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final clash between India and England on Thursday, former right-arm seamer Ishant Sharma believes the Men in Blue are poised to lift the title, given their exceptional performance in the tournament.
This semi-final is a rematch of the 2022 edition, where England’s dominant performance led to a 10-wicket victory over India. This defeat prompted India to overhaul their T20 strategy, shifting focus from established stars to younger, more aggressive players. This time, India boasts a more potent batting lineup, spearheaded by seasoned campaigners Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, along with an array of attacking options in the middle overs. Their bowling attack also shows greater variation. However, England, the defending champions, remain formidable opponents with Jos Buttler and Phil Salt in top form.
Ishant Sharma highlighted the team’s stellar performance, winning six consecutive matches. “The team’s exceptional performance throughout the tournament has been commendable can be seen in us winning six games in a row. It was a stellar performance by the boys. Rohit’s knock of 92 off just 41 balls was a masterclass, he completely dismantled the Australian bowlers with other batters also giving him the required support. We perfectly executed our plans,” Ishant said in the Caught and Bold show on Disney+ Hotstar.
He expressed optimism that Team India will maintain their strong form and secure the title. “Our bowlers bowled well with Arshdeep taking three important wickets including that of the dangerous David Warner. Along with batting, Rohit Sharma deserves to get plaudits for his brilliant captaincy against Australia for the trap he set up with Bumrah to get Travis Head out ending his onslaught and getting us over the line. It was enthralling to see India dominating Australia. Hopefully, we will continue the good form and clinch the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup this year,” he added.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sanju Samson, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk/c), Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, Mark Wood, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Tom Hartley.