On Thursday night, India and England face off in a T20 World Cup semi-final at the Adelaide Oval: who will advance to the final?
T20 World Cup, second semi-final
India and England face off in the second T20 World Cup semi-final on Thursday. The winner advances to the MCG for the final on Sunday night, while the loser returns home.
India are the deserved $1.80 favorites for this match, while England, who has been working their way into the tournament, is $2.00.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
India has won six of the nine T20 internationals between the two teams since the beginning of 2021.
- With 246 runs, Virat Kohli leads the World Cup in run scoring.
- Alex Hales, England’s best batter, is ranked 22nd in the tournament with 125 runs.
- Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh have both taken 10 wickets in the tournament.
- England has a 5-12 record in all ‘white ball’ internationals in Adelaide (1 NR)
THE ‘HOME’ ADVANTAGE
We’ve seen throughout the tournament that wherever India goes, crowds flock to support them in such a loud and vociferous manner that it feels like an away game for anyone who comes up against them.
Then, if Virat Kohli gets going, the crowd goes into overdrive, and the opposition struggles to hear themselves think, such is the pull of the ‘King.’
Just look at the final stages of India’s batting innings against Zimbabwe on Sunday: the crowd was so overwhelmingly in favor of India that you could be forgiven for thinking the game was being played in Mumbai rather than Melbourne.
Throughout the tournament, India has relied on the support of their cricket-crazed fanbase, and it has certainly helped them. It will be amazing to see the Indian fans go head to head with the Barmy Army on Thursday night.
GO TO A FLYER
Importantly for England, their openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales have been in excellent form over the last two games, with partnerships of 81 and 75 to begin England’s innings. Those knocks have laid the groundwork for England’s last two victories.
Neither of these two supremely experienced T20 players will be intimidated by the occasion; in fact, the high stakes of this semi-final should bring out the best in both and pump them up.
If Buttler and Hales get off to a fast start, England could win the game within the first 10 overs.
- England: $1.90 for most runs in the first six overs.
INDIA’S DEPTH
When we think of top run scorers in T20 cricket, we think of openers.
With KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma to open their innings, India has some of the best in the world, but they haven’t been in the best form all tournament, leaving Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav to lead the charge.
That’s the scary thing about India: even if Rahul and Sharma get off to a good start, there’s still Kohli and Yadav to come. Not ideal for England’s shaky bowling lineup.
- Suryakumar Yadav, Top India Batsman: $4.33
WHO DOES THE OCCASION REACH?
Despite playing some incredible cricket in this tournament, both teams have a history of failing when the pressure is on.
India’s recent record against England will give them some confidence (6-3 since the start of 2021), but they haven’t played in a white ball tournament final since 2014.
In fact, despite their talent and hype, they haven’t won a tournament since 2011, and that was the Cricket World Cup, which they hosted.
England’s most recent World Cup victory came in a nail-biting final against New Zealand in 2019. Prior to that, they reached the T20 World Cup final in 2016 but were defeated.
This tournament has seen both teams perform admirably when they are at their best. At their worst? We only have to look back to when England lost to Ireland to see what the worst case scenario is.
WHO DOES IT?
Given their overall form, India is the obvious choice. Kohli can’t stop scoring runs, and neither can Suryakumar Yadav, who hit one of the wildest 50s ever seen in cricket against Zimbabwe on Sunday night.
Their bowling attack, led by Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, will give England enough headaches to get the job done.
INDIA: $1.80
*Please note that once the final starting teams have been announced and these predictions may be subject to change. In the meantime, stay in the loop for more cricket world cup betting updates!
