Team India is gearing up to face defending champions England in the second semifinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled for Thursday, June 27, at Providence Stadium in Guyana.
Interestingly, these two teams also met in the second semifinal of the last edition, where Jos Buttler’s squad thoroughly dominated, winning by 10 wickets. This time around, India is eager for revenge, while England aims to replicate their previous success against Rohit Sharma’s side.
Before the highly anticipated match at Providence Stadium in Guyana, England captain Jos Buttler remarked on the aggressive approach expected from the Indian team. He confidently stated that the Three Lions would respond with their own brand of cricket, aiming for a spot in the finals. Buttler also praised Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who recently delivered a stunning performance, scoring 92 runs off 41 balls against Australia.
“We’re playing against very different India side here. The way Rohit leads his team and the way he bats, they play with a hell of a lot of freedom and try to be very aggressive,” Buttler said.
“That was probably a shift for them after that [2022] tournament and they played like that in the 50-over World Cup as well. They’re very confident in that style of play and we’ll have to be ready for that. We know they’ll be aggressive and we’ll be the same,” he added.
The weather forecast for Guyana during the match hours is concerning, with a high likelihood of rain potentially disrupting play. Unlike the other semi-final between South Africa and Afghanistan, there is no reserve day scheduled. If the match is washed out, India will advance to the final due to their top finish in the Super Eights group.
Buttler addressed the situation, noting that England can’t control the weather. However, he remains hopeful for a complete game after discussions with the locals.
“You can only control what you can control. We’ll just have to wait and see and be ready for whatever situations arise. Generally, when people talk about the weather, you end up getting the full game in,” Buttler concluded.
