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India vs. England is an exciting match to watch, especially in the T20 format, since both teams have plenty of game-winning players. It is now a day match, scheduled for inclement weather at a field not known for high totals. It is the second T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final, and if the rain holds off, there are a number of factors that should make it a good match.
Here, we examine some of the crucial individual matches and play segments that could determine the game’s result.
India’s openers vs Archer and his merry band
Rohit Sharma has faced Jofra Archer for twenty balls in T20 cricket; he has been removed three times with a total of seventeen runs scored. In contrast, Virat Kohli has long struggled to replicate Moeen Ali in all formats. In 10 matches in the international cricket scene, Moeen has defeated Kohli. Three times in ODIs, once in T20Is, and six times in Tests. Moeen has dismissed Kohli twice in T20 cricket while giving up 26 runs in 18 deliveries. In T20 cricket, Moeen has also claimed Rohit’s wicket twice while giving up 21 runs on 13 deliveries.
Although Moeen has not performed well in the powerplay this tournament, England may still rely on him to put Rohit and Kohli under early pressure especially on a pitch that has historically favored the spinners.
Dube one down?
If Rohit is out of the game early, England will likely put pressure on Kohli and Rishabh Pant, who has batted at number three throughout the World Cup, by bowling spin from both ends. Pant and Kohli had poor strike rates when facing spin. Since the beginning of 2021, Kohli’s strike rate against spinners in T20 cricket has been 116.98, while Pant’s strike rate is 125.00.
When it happens, will India dare to put Shivam Dube ahead of Pant? In the middle overs, Dube’s main responsibility has been to attack spin and sabotage the opposition’s bowling strategy.
However, it is highly likely that India will stick with their current batting order and not take a chance at this point in the competition.
Battle of the mercurials
England can afford to maintain at least two overs of Archer till the death since they have a wealth of bowling allrounders. Only once, against South Africa, did Archer bowl two at the end of a match in which he took the wickets of David Miller and Marco Jansen while conceding 16 runs. This was one of his three matches in which he bowled four overs.
Archer will probably face the potent combination of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya if he bowls two at the end of the game against India. And that won’t even register with Archer.
England’s Bumrah dilemma
The most difficult obstacle for England to overcome is Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah is unique because he can carry out his strategies to the very last detail, ball after ball, regardless of the opponents, the match’s significance, or its structure.
Typically, during powerplays, Bumrah bowls two overs and generally the final two at the end of the innings. England is leading the run chart in this phase because to the explosive play of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt in the powerplay. Buttler, meanwhile, has only managed 71 runs from 82 balls in 12 innings of T20 cricket after being removed four times by Bumrah.
Buttler always contributes positively to the outcome of the game when he bats deep. Therefore, if England wishes to take a strong stance against Bumrah, they may delegate that task to Salt. Should that strategy fail, they may consider moving Sam Curran up to the No. 3 position as an aggressor.
Buttler vs Kuldeep
Buttler will face Kuldeep Yadav, one of the top bowlers in the world over the past year in all formats, if he choose to bat deep.
As the stats indicate, Buttler has never been bold enough to take on Kuldeep (87 runs off 63 deliveries, 3 wickets conceded).
Since England’s hitters have a strong track record against left-arm spin, they should be safe from Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja’s manipulation.
Among the 70 bowlers who have bowled 300 or more balls since 2022, Kuldeep’s economy of 6.02 against Full Member teams in the middle overs is expected to be the biggest obstacle. Rashid Khan’s economy is the highest.