India and England collide in the all-important semi-final at the Adelaide Oval

After an intense showdown in the group stages, it is a collision of giants in the second semi-final as Team India will be heading down the fast lane against an old rival in England at the Adelaide Oval with the last berth in the grand finale up for grabs.

India will be hoping to replicate their impressive form in the group stages where they bettered the likes of Pakistan, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to finish as the group toppers. England braved an early scare to find themselves back into the contest and powered a late charge to sail into the semis.

Both sides will be coming into the contest on the back of impressive batting as India’s middle-order has shown some grandstand brilliance led by Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli while England will be pinning their hopes on the opening duo of Alex Hales and Jos Buttler in search of a prized final spot.

It isn’t just the batting units that have shown maturity over time for both the sides, but the pace units have been in equally decent shape, making this a belter of a contest between the Indian quartet of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami, while the English pace duo of Sam Curran and Mark Wood isn’t an easy one to brave.

Venue Watch:

A total of 14 T20I matches have so far been played at the Adelaide Oval out of which 7 contests have been won batting first while the teams chasing have secured 6 victories. Despite the recent surge in runs, the average first innings score at the stadium is a modest 155 while the average score piled up in the second innings is 144. With the weather playing its part, the numbers give out a slight idea about how the surface is going to play out as the sway stays slightly inclined towards the team batting first.

Key Player Battles:

Virat Kohli versus Sam Curran: Virat Kohli has been in phenomenal touch throughout the tournament as he currently leads the list of the highest run-scorers with 246 runs from the 5 games that he has been a part of. He has played a string of gorgeous strokes while dictating the narrative upfront. Sam Curran has so far been the crux of the English bowling brilliance with the highest number of wickets claimed and as the two reckoning juggernauts collide, the youngster would be hoping to work his magic against Kohli. No matter the upshot, going into the semi-final, this will be a rivalry to savour.

Suryakumar Yadav versus Mark Wood: SKY has known no limits in the ongoing year and the showpiece event has witnessed the Indian middle-order maven coming out at his blazing best. With 225 runs scored from 5 games, SKY continues to pose some serious questions against the formidable bowling units of the tournament. Mark Wood has been in fine shape throughout the fray and has made good use of the pace in the Australian tracks. Given an abundance of orthodox weapons in Wood’s fascinating arsenal, this is going to be a clash of cricket’s finest conventions and a bubble of non-conforming rebellion, delivered in a midweek blockbuster.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar versus Jos Buttler: The English captain had a late start to his cracking affairs but eventually did find his rhythm while the Indian fast bowler had a lot of questions before the showpiece event kickstarted but successfully braved them all to lead the Indian attack in the powerplay. Kumar has showcased some classic movement, making good use of the surface while Buttler has freed his arms after shaking off the initial jitters. In a reckoning clash of the willow and the leather, this duel can shape the fortunes of this all-important collision at the Adelaide Oval.

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 22

India: 12

England: 10

Match Details:

India vs England

Adelaide Oval

10th November 2022

1:30 PM

Squads:

India:

Rohit Sharma (captain), Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Deepak Hooda, Mohammed Shami

England:

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Tymal Mills, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Alex Hales