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T20 World Cup: Five reasons why England can beat India in semifinal

The all-round depth is the greatest quality to have in T20 cricket and England are definitely head and shoulders above India

While fans in the sub-continent are waiting in great anticipation for a dream India-Pakistan final clash at the ICC T20 World Cup in Melbourne, New Zealand and England are busy with their own plans to set up their own final date.

Pakistan cannot take New Zealand lightly in today's first semifinal and it will be foolish to predict an Indian victory over England in the second semifinal tomorrow.

Legendary batsman Kevin Pietersen, the star of the England team that won the 2010 T20 World Cup title, backed Jos Buttler's men to surprise India in the second semifinal on Thursday.

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Here are the five reasons why England have what it takes to beat the star-studded Indian team in the semifinal on Thursday.

Overall team strength

England haven't really found their A game in the tournament so far, and they even lost to Ireland in what was one of the biggest upsets Down Under. But England are a dangerous team that would pose a big challenge to India on Thursday. Their batting line-up features destructive batsmen like Buttler, Alex Hales, Ben Stokes and Liam Livingstone. And they also have a formidable pace attack in Mark Wood and Chris Woakes. But their trump card is their leg-spinner Adil Rashid who has been among the most economical bowlers in the tournament. Rashid will be backed by Moeen Ali and Livingstone in the spin department.

Rohit's batting woes

India have reached the semifinals from the easier of the two Super 12 groups. They would have been in trouble if the result in the last-ball thriller against Pakistan had not gone in their favour. While Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and even KL Rahul have shown fine batting touch, the big disappointment has been skipper Rohit Sharma, one of the greatest white-ball batsmen of all time. Rohit has managed just one half-century in the tournament against the Netherlands. And his failure to convert starts has been a serious concern for the team. England will tease him with bouncers as he loves pulling them. But unfortunately for India, Rohit's attempted pull shots have been caught in the deep in this tournament.

Pant or Karthik

The great Indian puzzle over their wicketkeeper-batsman's position has led to some sarcasm Down Under, with some experts claiming that India are playing in a World Cup without knowing their best team. The man they want to see is Rishabh Pant, the swashbuckling stroke-player who has improved tremendously as a wicketkeeper in recent times. But India have continued to show faith in Dinesh Karthik, who played the role of the finisher to perfection in the 2022 IPL. But Karthik hasn't really replicated his IPL form after his return to the Indian team and he has yet to make an impact in Australia. Head coach Rahul Dravid ducked the wicketkeeper question after India's last match against Zimbabwe which clearly showed a lack of clarity in the think-tank.

England's all-round brilliance

That's one area in which England clearly have the edge over India. In Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and even Chris Woakes, England have players that can win a game either with the bat or the ball. The all-round depth is the greatest quality to have in T20 cricket and England are definitely head and shoulders above India in this department. India's only genuine all-rounder is Hardik Pandya. While Ravichandran Ashwin can be handy with the bat, Axar Patel has not really found his batting form in Australia. India is clearly missing Ravindra Jadeja, their most accomplished all-rounder, in this tournament.

Pressure of expectations

Unlike the Indian team, England will not be feeling the burden of expectations from their football-mad public. While cricket still holds a place in the English hearts, it's third on the list of the most popular sports in England behind football and rugby. Now with just 11 days to go for the start of the Fifa World Cup, the whole of England is waiting with bated breath to see if its football team can win their first World Cup since 1966. The lack of big attention from public and media might work in favour of the England cricket team as they go into the knockout rounds of the T20 World Cup. The Indian team, on the other hand, always carry the burden of expectations from a billion cricket-mad fans. And without an ICC trophy since 2013, the star-studded India will be under added pressure to perform in the make-or-break knockout game.