All eyes would be on the overhead conditions at the Providence Stadium in Guyana in the lead-up to Thursday’s second semi-final of this T20 World Cup between India and England.
Rain and thunderstorm have been lashing the place over the last few days, while the forecast for Thursday too isn’t very encouraging for both players and fans.
For India though, it wouldn’t be too disappointing as a washout means they will make the final for being the higher-ranked side in the tournament’s group phase.
The odds seem to be in India’s favour, but they would certainly want their premier batsman Virat Kohli to come good in this semi-final. Against Bangladesh earlier in the Super Eight, Kohli looked much more solid and assured with the bat, only to throw his wicket away with an unnecessary shot.
Against Australia last Monday, he couldn’t time the short ball and perished. Assuming England will begin proceedings with Reece Topley and Jofra Archer, the task won’t be getting any easier for Kohli.
It’s high time India are helped by a sizeable contribution from Kohli as in every game it won’t be possible for captain Rohit Sharma to produce a blitz, as he did against the Australians. In semi-finals and final, England don’t usually look rattled and lacking in other plans, having shown the ability to claw out of tough situations.
So, some sort of solidity is definitely required from Kohli and the rest of the top order as England are not a side to keep repeating the mistakes they committed previously.
However, what bodes well for an unbeaten India is that England go into the game with losses against Australia and South Africa so far in the competition. The Providence pitch, too, is likely to aid spinners with sharp turn and low bounce, something India’s in-form spinner Kuldeep Yadav should enjoy.
Rohit didn’t dismiss the idea of playing four spinners during the match-eve news conference. “We will first assess the conditions and then take a call on (playing) four spinners. We’ll see,” the skipper said on Wednesday.
England too have the consistent Adil Rashid in their ranks. The leg-spinner has troubled Indian batters even on flat decks.
If conditions remain overcast, the quicks may have a bigger role to play. But will India tweak their winning combination?
