2:14 PM ET
Vithushan Ehantharajah
Big picture
The self-anointed large boys of satellite cricket are going astatine it astatine the Adelaide Oval. The neutrals whitethorn conflict to prime a side, but 1 happening is definite - it volition beryllium a blockbuster occasion.
Familiarity volition breed contention successful this instance, fixed what's astatine stake. Just a fewer months agone these 2 sides spent a concentrated fortnight astatine 1 another's throats, with India taking the T20I limb with a beauteous convincing 2-1 bid win. But things are antithetic now, precise overmuch successful a bully way. Jos Buttler is simply a much accomplished captain, settled successful the rigmarole of the occupation and his tactics. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has rediscovered his mojo.
England volition consciousness they person an borderline of sorts, what with 2 must-win games ticked disconnected against New Zealand and Sri Lanka to get them retired of Group 1. There is simply a renewed assurance astir them arsenic setters having agelong been chasers, to the grade that the flip whitethorn beryllium world provided evening dew is minimal.
As for India, the lone squad to person won 4 matches successful the Super 12 stage, the unit to spell connected to a reunion with Pakistan astatine the MCG successful Sunday's last volition beryllium great, though nary greater than what their players usually contend with. Quite isolated from their evident spot is simply a cerebral attack to their T20 enactment that gives them a unsocial borderline implicit opponents earlier they person acceptable ft connected the park. Much of England's nationalist mentation has been connected bigging that up portion privately racking their brains to instrumentality them down a fewer pegs.
The shorter quadrate boundaries successful Adelaide, arsenic elaborate successful our Tactics Board, volition play to the strengths of some batting line-ups. That nary Englishman different than openers Buttler and Alex Hales person deed much than 1 six successful the tourney speaks of a mediate bid that hasn't rather travel to the party. And portion it's tempting to accidental they are "due", India volition nary uncertainty beryllium focussing connected keeping them quiet. One expects Sam Curran's emergence as Buttler's go-to decease bowler volition besides look its sternest trial against a broadside who are striking astatine 11.90 astatine the death.
Wherever you look, determination are match-ups that could beryllium regarded arsenic game-changing bouts. Don't miss immoderate of them.
Watch: India tune up for the semi-final
India had an optional signifier league astatine the Adelaide Oval up of their Men's T20 World Cup semi-final against England
Form guide
India WWLWW (last 5 completed T20Is, astir caller first)
England WWLWW
In the spotlight
In a squad of superstars, Suryakumar Yadav strides supra them each arsenic the antheral of this World Cup. No 1 has had a much profound effect connected his squad - and opponents - rather similar this 32-year-old phenom equipped with much scoring options than Erling Haaland. The numbers he's posted truthful acold - 225 astatine a onslaught complaint of 193.96 - are remarkable, the strokeplay drafting admiration from each quarters, even AB de Villiers who is the lone 1 that springs to caput erstwhile it comes to the accordant demolition this antheral is serving up. Can helium beryllium stopped?
Reliable with the ball, the accustomed excellence successful the tract and, against Sri Lanka, yet a people of enactment with the bat. Picking Ben Stokes successful this conception is arsenic wide arsenic the blue's SKY. But successful Dawid Malan's apt absence, the allrounder is the lone batter apt to clasp the innings unneurotic and instrumentality things heavy successful the lawsuit of aboriginal losses. They accidental the large moments find him, and fewer travel bigger than this.
Team news
The lone statement for India is whether to play Rishabh Pant oregon Dinesh Karthik. Pant tin upset Adil Rashid being a left-hand batter but Karthik is the finisher who tin deed from shot one. Also Pant volition person Moeen Ali's offspin to woody with. Going by India's grooming session, it looks similar Karthik volition play, having engaged successful keeping drills portion Pant did not. It is interaction and go.
India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Dinesh Karthik/Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Arshdeep Singh.
Neither Mark Wood nor Dawid Malan were afloat acceptable astatine the clip of the captain's property conferences but England are consenting to springiness them arsenic overmuch clip arsenic possible. Malan batted for a spot with 1 pad on, portion Wood bowled astir 2 overs max - with England understood to beryllium ready to play Chris Jordan successful his stead. It was notable that Phil Salt batted for a agelong play successful the nets. Those changes successful themselves volition bring a grade of uncertainty fixed England person named unchanged XIs for their World Cup games truthful far.
England (possible): 1 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Dawid Malan/Phil Salt, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Adil Rashid.
Pitch and conditions
Yes, this volition beryllium a utilized pitch, but it was past utilized connected November 4 for the lucifer betwixt Australia and Afghanistan. The groundsman has assured Jos Buttler that helium has had capable clip to hole what should not behave similar a bushed pitch. Buttler said: "I deliberation having talked to the groundsman, his squad is truly assured that he's had a batch of clip to get immoderate truly bully enactment into the wicket. He seems precise comfy that it's going to beryllium a truly bully aboveground and a accordant surface. At the infinitesimal I person nary worries astir the pitch."
For what it's worth, the transportation for Australia vs Afghanistan started disconnected dilatory and inconsistent successful bounce, but it skidded connected nicely astatine night. Afghanistan came adjacent to chasing down 168. Chasing upon winning the flip mightiness beryllium a bully idea, though overmuch of the week starring up to this lucifer has been rather blistery truthful determination mightiness beryllium much gait successful this pitch. The forecast is fine, albeit with a greeting ablution predicted. Nevertheless, this should beryllium an uninterrupted match.
Stats and trivia
India person won their past 4 bilateral T20I bid against England - 2 successful England, 2 successful India, each 4 by one-match margins.
The 2 teams person not met astatine a T20 World Cup successful this period, though. The past of their 3 meetings came successful 2012, erstwhile a Rohit Sharma half-century and a four-wicket haul from Harbhajan Singh led India to a 90-run triumph successful Colombo. In all, India person a 2-1 pb in T20 World Cup meetings.
Virat Kohli needs 42 runs to go the archetypal batter to 4000 successful T20Is. Alex Hales, meanwhile, is 13 abbreviated of the 2000 mark.
Quotes
"These guys are rather dangerous. They've played immoderate truly bully cricket successful the tourney arsenic well, which is wherefore they're here. So we've got to beryllium astatine our champion to triumph the game."
India skipper Rohit Sharma is taking thing for granted.
"Well, we surely don't privation to spot an India-Pakistan final, truthful we'll beryllium trying each we tin bash to marque definite that doesn't happen."Jos Buttler speaks for a nation. Perhaps conscionable 1 nation.
English (US)