On Thursday, June 27, in Guyana, England’s head coach Matthew Mott stated that Jos Buttler’s team needs to be cautious of a “different” India. The two teams will play each other in the T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal. According to Mott, England has moved on from its history and is ready and determined to win the important match and guarantee a spot in the championship.
India and England will play a rematch of the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal. In that match in Adelaide, Jos Buttler’s team defeated India by 10 wickets after the bowlers held Rohit Sharma’s team to 168 in 20 overs. While Virat Kohli hit 50 off 40 balls, Rohit Sharma struggled to find consistency at the top of the game, getting 27 off 28 balls.
In one of the most lopsided semifinals in T20 World Cup history, England managed to reach the target with 4 overs remaining. Matthew Mott is positive when it comes to his team’s chances in the semi finals this time around.
Matthew Mott On England’s Mindset
When asked about the 2022 semifinal, Matthew Mott said: “We’re not looking back at all with this group. One of its big mantras is staying present. They are a different team, too, than when we took them on.”
“I think, when we go back to that semifinal, obviously on a good pitch in Adelaide, we put India in and that was a risk. I thought they weren’t sure what a good score was.
“I think the approach now is maybe they come hard at us and try and maximise the powerplay and put the score out of our reach. I think we have got two very good batting line-ups, the bowlers are all class too. So I think it is all going to come down to on the day who sums up those conditions the quickest and who puts the opposition on the backfoot first,” he added.
India has undoubtedly been playing T20I cricket more aggressively lately. The Asian giants, led by Rohit Sharma, have succeeded in applying pressure to the opposing teams during the opening ten overs.
During the T20 World Cup Super 8 match, India sent a strong message to Australia, disrupting their highly skilled bowling lineup in St Lucia. Even after Virat Kohli was out for zero, Rohit did not let up as he ripped Mitchell Starc, blasting four sixes in a 29-run over against the left-arm pacer. India batted Australia out of the game with 205 runs scored, the best total against Australia in men’s T20 World Cup history, thanks to a 41-ball 92 from Rohit.
Virat Kohli Is A Threat
Matthew Mott, the England coach, did not downplay Virat Kohli’s chances of recovering his form in the crucial semi-final. Although Kohli hasn’t played at his best in the competition thus far, he has never finished with fewer than 50 points in a T20 World Cup semifinal.
“Virat has proven his class over a very long period of time. He’s one of the players we’ve prepared well for. We know how he can play; we know how destructive he can be and we also know his game smarts. If the game demands an innings of a different nature, he’s got that skill.
“So, he’s definitely a key player for them and like we’ve said throughout this tournament what’s happened throughout this tournament means nothing tomorrow when we face off against each other – big players step up in the big moments We’re hoping our players do that but you can expect him to do exactly the same,” Matthew Mott said.
Also Read : https://goworldwide.co.in/world-cup-2024-usa-all-set-to-take-on-ireland/