T20 World Cup 2022: “It’ll be difficult for India” – Virender Sehwag warns Rohit Sharma and Co. against England in semifinals
Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag feels that it would be difficult for Rohit Sharma and Co. to overcome England in Adelaide in the T20 World Cup semifinal in Adelaide on Thursday (November 10).
Table-toppers India from Group 2 will play second-placed England from Group 1 in the second semifinal.
While the Men in Blue lost their only group-stage match against South Africa, the England team suffered only one loss against Ireland in a rain-shortened game by the DLS method. The two teams have a quality batting line-up in the showpiece T20 event.
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Speaking to Cricbuzz, Sehwag said:
“7:36 - I think it’ll be difficult for India [against England in the semifinals].”
Ashish Nehra, a former India pacer, further shed light on England’s advantage of playing in Adelaide. He said:
“8:09- When you talk about Adelaide and England’s batting, side boundaries are smaller. The competition is 50-50. If you think about who is 0.1 percent ahead, it’s England’s batting.”
“England will be a good challenge for us” – Rohit Sharma ahead of T20 World Cup semifinal
Indian captain Rohit Sharma feels that India versus England clash will be a high-pressure game in the T20 World Cup semifinals. He wants the Men in Blue to adapt quickly to the conditions.
Speaking to Star Sports, he said:
“The key for us will be to adjust to the conditions as quickly as possible. We've played a game there recently, but England will be a good challenge for us. They've been playing some good cricket. Two teams going at each other, it'll be a great contest.”
He added:
“It's going to be a high-pressure game. We need to play well. If we do play well there, we have a good game ahead as well. You need to adjust quickly and plan accordingly.”
Rohit also lavished praise on World No.1 batter Suryakumar Yadav after he scored a quickfire 61* off 25 balls against Zimbabwe. The right-handed batter has already amassed 225 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 193.96, including three half-centuries in the T20 World Cup.
“What he's doing for the team is remarkable. Playing and taking pressure off batsmen as well - it's quite important from team's perspective. We know his ability and it allows the other guys to take some time as well."
Rohit continued:
"The confidence he shows when he bats, the dug-out can be at ease. He's shown a lot of composure. This is something that we expect from him and he's gone from strength to strength.”
Suryakumar scored a T20I century in England earlier this year. He will be keen to once again put on a show against the Three Lions in the T20 World Cup semifinal.