India is set to play another T20 World Cup semi-final against England in Guyana on the morning of Thursday, June 27 (local time), and Indian captain, Rohit Sharma has reassured the calm in the dressing room and not being overawed by the occasion of a knockout. India under Rohit Sharma, on the back of winning three in a row in the super-eights, will come in to the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in Guyana with high confidence of doing well and potentially taking revenge of the 10-wicket loss in 2022.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma gave some insights on the team combination, the ICC’s scheduling, Inzamam-ul-Haq’s claim of ball tampering, and his own form. In the nets, we saw Virat Kohli looking to get back into form before the India vs England semifinal at the Providence Stadium, Guyana.
Team India Practice & Press Conference Updates
Team India arrived at the Providence Stadium for their last practice before the semifinal. Although it’s an optional practice, every player is expected to have a net session. Virat Kohli opened the practice session for India. The out-of-form batter is hoping to find his hands against England tomorrow, having scored 66 runs in the last 6 matches.
Before starting the session, Rahul Dravid was giving the whole team a talk. In what is his last tournament as India’s head coach, Dravid would hope he ends his tenure on a high.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma attended the press conference and answered questions to the media before the big semifinals.
Rohit Sharma attributes India’s knockout stage failures to fear of failure and bad luck ahead of 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma felt that the side had been undone by a fear of failure and bad luck in their recent knockout stage defeats in ICC events. He shared these thoughts ahead of their 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final clash against England in Guyana on June 27. Much like the 2023 ODI World Cup, Team India have been unbeaten thus far in the tournament entering the semi-final stage. Yet, despite several strong displays through ICC events over the past few years, the Men in Blue have succumbed to the pressure of the knockout games.
They suffered a 10-wicket defeat against England in the previous T20 World Cup semi-final in 2022. India also lost to Australia in the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup final last year, extending their drought without an ICC title to over 10 years. They last won one in the 2013 Champions Trophy in England.
In the press conference ahead of the semi-final against England, Rohit was asked whether bad luck or fear of failure has doomed India in the knockout games. He answered:
“It’s a bit of both. We want to treat this game as another game that we have played in this tournament. We don’t want to think about what lies ahead and what the context of the game is and all that.
“Everyone knows in the back of their mind, it’s a semi-final. You don’t want to keep talking about it again and again. And not to think about what has happened in the past.”
India won all three completed group-stage encounters, followed by victories over Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Australia in the Super Eight.
Rohit Sharma on the success of team India in WT20 2024.
Rohit Sharma praised the side for playing together as a unit and responding well under pressure at different times during the ongoing World Cup.
The England clash on Thursday will be India’s fifth semi-final appearance in nine T20 World Cup editions.
“I think the entire group is in a good frame of mind. We are playing well as a team, enjoying each other’s company and success. So I think it’s important to carry on what we have been doing in this tournament.
“Yes, we have been put under pressure at times and I thought we responded pretty well. That is probably because we are not thinking too far ahead,” said Rohit.
The last time India won a T20 World Cup semi-final was in 2014 when they defeated South Africa before losing to Sri Lanka in the grand finale. The Asian giants suffered defeats in their previous two semi-finals in the 2016 and 2022 editions to the West Indies and England.