If game goes on till pretty late, we might miss our flight: Rohit Sharma's witty take on possibility of rain-hit IND vs ENG T20 World Cup semis
Indian captain Rohit Sharma jokingly commented that the Men in Blue might miss their scheduled chartered flight if their 2024 T20 World Cup semifinal against England goes on till 'pretty late'. He cheekily added that it's the ICC and Cricket West Indies' headache to take care of their travel arrangements.
The Men in Blue will take on the Englishmen in the second semifinal of the 2024 T20 World Cup at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday, June 27. The match begins at 8 p.m IST (10:30 a.m. local time).
While there's a reserve day for the South Africa vs Afghanistan semifinal, the India-England match will have to be completed on the same day, as the final is scheduled for June 29.
At a press conference ahead of the India vs England semifinal in Guyana, Indian captain Rohit made a quirky comment while sharing his views on the weather conditions for the semifinal and the likelihood of rain affecting the game.
“The overhead conditions is in nobody's control, you don't know what is going to happen. The only thing I am worried is if the game goes on till pretty late, we have a chartered flight, and we might miss that [sic]," the Indian skipper was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
“But that is ok, it is the ICC and Cricket West Indies' headache to get us to the next venue. We will focus on how we can play this game well and get the result in our favor. Two good cricket teams are going to play, so it's going to be a great game," he went on to add.
The 37-year-old also disagreed with the observation that India had an unfair advantage, as it was decided in advance by the ICC that the Men in Blue would be playing the second semifinal in Guyana if they qualified for the same.
Countering the argument, he pointed out that England's players are also well aware of the conditions in the West Indies.
“I don't think it is an advantage. A lot of these players have played in different types of venues. I am sure a lot of English cricketers have played here. So I don't see it as an advantage, at the end of the day, you have to play good cricket to win. That is how I look at it,” Rohit said.
India were allotted the second semifinal in Guyana due to viewership reasons. While the first semifinal will start at 6 a.m. IST, the second semifinal will get underway at 8 p.m. IST, making it easier for Indian fans to follow the contest.
What happened when India and England met in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal?
India and England had also clashed in the second semifinal of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. In the knockout clash in Adelaide, the Englishmen hammered the Men in Blue by 10 wickets.
Batting first in Adelaide, Team India put up 168-6 as Hardik Pandya smashed 63 off 33, while Virat Kohli made 50 off 40. Alex Hales (86* off 47) and Jos Buttler (80* off 49), though, combined to gun down the target in 16 overs to knock India out of the competition.