It is going to be a repeat of the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal as India take on England on  Thursday in the 2nd semifinal of this T20 WC in Guyana. Last time, England had registered a  dominant victory over Indians and went on to win the Cup. This Rohit Sharma-led India,  however, look in a better shape with all their bases covered. I think it is not wrong to say that  they start as favourites against the defending champions. 

I know Ravindra Jadeja has not been in great form in this tournament and he has received his  share of criticism too. But mind you, the kind of conditions and pitches we have seen in this  competition, I see Jadeja holding the big cards in the clash against England. He could become  England’s nemesis because of the conditions they will play in. As I mentioned earlier, England  had won the contest last time at the 2022 edition but that victory is in past. The conditions are  completed different here and in favour of India.  

The Men in Blue have got a perfect balance. Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jadeja will relish the  conditions and will be tough to bat against. I will be amazed if these three don’t end up bowling  their full quota of overs. Same for Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah. Assuming the pitch will  be a slow turner, this is an awesome attack with Hardik Pandya also available to roll his arms for  a couple of overs if needed. 

It was great to see Rohit Sharma smash runs at a fine pace vs Australia but Virat Kohli’s form  remains a big concern. I am sure he is itching to be back among big runs and he cannot ask for a  better stage than knockouts to bring out his best of the tournament. At the same time, India have  benefitted by their top order not working for a majority of the tournament as all their batters have  got runs in the middle. 

Talking about England, the big question they are gacing ahead of this clash is this: can they prey  on India’s favourites tag? Look, India will be under pressure in Guyana. They have not done  justice to this favourites tag in the last few World Cups, going into the semifinals and the finals. The last two ICC tournaments are an example where they lost in the semis and the final. 

India’s last ICC trophy came in 2013 when they won the Champions Trophy and another one is  long time due. The expectation on Indians is huge. Can England prey on that level of  expectations on Indians? If they can do that, they will be able to dominate the game. 

How England maintain the balance of their side will be interesting to see. I believe Reece  Topley, Jofra Archer will bowl their quota of overs. Sam Curran’s off-cutters and slowers will  come handy in these conditions while Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone will also play a big role  with the ball in hand. Not to forget, Adil Rashid will be quite crucial to increase England’s  chances in the match. His battle with Indian batters would be interesting to watch. 

In this case, England need to figure out how can they fit in Chris Jordan in the XI. He is the hero  from the last game. How many overs will he be able to bowl assuming that the pitch will demand 

you bowl more into the surface. If Jordan plays and I think he will, then England will have to  make sure the balance of the side is suited to the surface. 

If England want to win this game against India, the first six overs of their batting powerplay will  be more important than ever. They have got the players to do that. Jos Buttler is nearly back to  his best with the bat and Phil Salt has been fantastic. Jonny Bairstow has been more than capable  of exploiting the conditions.  

England also face the question of whether to add another batter in the top four or do they  promote the likes of Sam Curran or Moeen Ali, the left-handed options, to tackle the spin of  Jadeja, Axar and Kuldeep. The latter option is thinking out of the box. I don’t think England are  going this way but tackling India’s spinners will need out of the box thinking. Ben Duckett, for  example, won’t be a bad idea to play in this game because of the matchups. But again, England  might not get him in now at this stage. That is why getting Curran and Moeen to bat higher up  the order might be the way ahead against India on the slow pitches, someone who can take on the  spinners, play well square of the wicket. 

England will need to be very strategic and be specific to the conditions, using the right resources  to beat this Indian side. Bad weather may play its role as it has been raining over there in  Guyana. But let’s hope the weather clears for a great game of cricket.