England face title contenders India in the second semi-final on Thursday. Defending champions India will have a strong fan base.
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England all-rounder Sam Curran on Wednesday claimed that his team will have no fear when they face India in the World Twenty20 semi-final on Tuesday. He also claimed that his only aim is to shock the home fans at the Wankhede Stadium.
England will face strong title contenders India in the second semi-final on Thursday. Defending champions India will have a strong fan base. But Curran believes that most of his teammates have played in the Indian Premier League (IPL), so the large presence of Indian fans will not make much difference. Moreover, Will Jacks is a Mumbai Indians player. Left-hander Simar Curran says, “It is a dream for any young player to face India in the World Cup semi-final.”
Curran, who missed out on being part of the England team until last year, has now made a strong comeback. This was also possible due to their strong performance in the IPL. He says, ‘India is a good team, there is no doubt about it. But we have also played a lot of cricket here. We also know how to play on the ground here. And we also know what to expect from the ground here.’
He added, ‘The IPL has helped us a lot, there is no doubt about that. We have also played at Wankhede many times, so it can be said that there is nothing that we do not know about this ground.’ When England faced Nepal in their first match of the tournament, the Wankhede audience was not on their side. England won on the last ball.
Moreover, Karan bowled the last over in that match. Nepal needed 10 runs in the ‘death over’ to win, but Karan gave away only five runs, otherwise England would have suffered a memorable defeat that day. The same situation was repeated in the match against Italy. Curran has scored 143 runs with a fast performance, batting at number six. An unbeaten 43 is the best in that.
He adds, ‘We are not really afraid. I think both teams are happy for such a challenge. If the audience is forced to remain silent, it will benefit us. It will be a positive for us.’ This is the third consecutive time that England has faced India in the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup. The team that has won out of these has also become the champion.
‘India is stronger’
Another key player and captain of the English team, Harry Brook, believes that India is a strong candidate for the World Cup title at home. But he also believes that England is in good shape right now. In this way, the match between 2022 winners England and 2024 winners India will be ‘blockbusters’. Millions are also set to watch the match on TV.
Brook said on Wednesday, ‘Playing in the World Cup semi-final is a dream come true for all of us, that too at a historic ground like Wankhede against India. We are playing good cricket now, so we are also confident ahead of the game. Our game itself is not the best, but it is not the least.’
‘Let’s believe, let us all play freely, let our performance be brave and let’s see how India plays,’ said Brooks. In 2022, England defeated India by ten wickets in the semi-final in Adelaide and then eliminated Pakistan in the final in Melbourne.
On the other hand, India had defeated England by 68 runs in the semi-final in Guinea two years ago and then defeated South Africa in the final in Barbados. Brook added, “India is the strongest team on home soil, but anything can happen in T20 cricket. We have won everything we have played so far after a hard-fought battle. That also means something in a tournament like the World Cup.”
‘India needs a special performance’
Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel believes that if India is to beat England in the semi-final, it will require a special performance from the home team. Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 97 helped India defeat the West Indies in Kolkata. Morkel will need a similar special performance against England.
He told the media on Wednesday, “No one has said that India has played well. How we reached the semi-finals is not a big deal. The main thing now is the next two games and how India will perform in them will only mean something. It has been clear how good a team India is so far.'
Morkel also expressed confidence that India will perform well on Thursday night. He said, 'Tomorrow's semi-final opportunity will be big in itself. A historic ground, and the expectation of such excellent cricket. Let's believe, our players will play calmly and balanced.' India also practiced at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday evening.
But this practice started an hour later than the scheduled time because the Indian team wanted to avoid the time of the lunar eclipse, which is considered inauspicious. Morkel said, 'I was also told about the lunar eclipse, and the practice was also postponed. But the most important thing for us is how the practice went. One thing is certain, tomorrow's semi-final match will be an exciting clash between two attacking teams.'
