However, their road to the semifinals hasn’t been a cakewalk. They needed a Virat Kohli miracle against Pakistan. They lost to South Africa. While they won the other games, India have relied heavily on Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav. The pace trio of Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have stepped up and delivered, and R Ashwin has chipped in as well.
That said, unlike the other teams India have faced so far, Jos Buttler’s side has the most modernised approach when it comes to white-ball cricket. New Zealand might have been the thorn in India’s pursuit of an ICC trophy but England are very strong adversaries. India would be wary that they haven’t been able to replicate a similar brand of cricket in the World Cup so far. Which is why, as Rohit Sharma and Co. get ready for the second semifinal in Adelaide on Thursday, they will be aware of the threat Buttler’s side possess. And there are quite a few questions they would want to address before the all-important clash.
The first on the list would be the fact that India’s top-order hasn’t been able to set the tone. In the first six overs, they have operated at 5.96 runs while averaging 22. Former India cricketer Hemang Badani said that it would be the biggest challenge. “England are not a team that take time to settle in. They (Indian openers) will have to step up and go aggressively. Against England, they can’t score slowly and capitalise (later on). They will have to fire for India to do well,” Badani told this daily.
For him, the difference between the approach by the openers could be the deciding factor. “Opening versus opening is crucial. That will be the deciding contest. Indian openers will have to be more aggressive and they will have to dismiss the England openers early. If you look at the stats, they (England) haven’t lost many wickets in the powerplay. Still, they go at a good SR that is where the game will matter,” said Badani, who has won four TNPL titles, including three consecutive ones, as coach of Chepauk Super Gillies.
The India pacers have done extremely well in that regard, with Bhuvneshwar operating at an economy of 5.4. He might have only two new ball wickets to show, but 51 off the 66 balls he has bowled in the powerplay have been dots. However, the challenge lies in the approach of England. They have lost only four wickets in the powerplay, three of which came against Ireland, and have managed to score at 7.3 runs per over in the first eight overs.
In comparison, the Indian top three score just over run-a-ball — Kohli (106.3), Rohit (96.96) and KL Rahul (103.57). “It will be important for India’s top three to take it upon themselves to either bat deep or bat a little more aggressively in the first 6-8 overs because they are batting close to only a 100 SR. They will have to make sure that they take deep or they bat aggressively,” said the fielding coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The other question before them is whether or not to bring back Dinesh Karthik in place of Rishabh Pant. Since England have four left-handers, Axar Patel’s place needs to be assessed. Badani felt that dropping Pant after just one match might not be of any help and that Deepak Hooda might not have a place in the packed middle-order. “They have Adil Rashid. Yes, Axar is there, but he is going to be No 7, 8. They have to use Pant strategically, like bring him in when Rashid comes on. Rashid has to bowl his four overs. That is when they should send in Pant to take him on. Not to mention, Adelaide has shot square boundaries. They have to make the most of it.”