India is a very different team to that 2022 semifinal: England head coach Mott

Georgetown (Guyana): England head coach Matthew Mott said Jos Buttler’s men will be wary of a ‘different’ India when the two teams meet in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2024 in Guyana on Thursday, June 27. Mott said England have forgotten the past and are heading into the big-ticket clash with hunger and determination to do well and seal a berth in the final.

England will take on India in a repeat of the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final. India were beaten by 10 wickets by Jos Buttler’s side in that contest in Adelaide after the bowlers restricted Rohit Sharma’s men to 168 in 20 overs. Rohit Sharma struggled for fluency at the top, scoring 27 off 28 balls while Virat Kohli hit 50 off 40 balls. England chased down the target with 4 overs to spare in one of the most one-sided semifinals in T20 World Cup history.

When asked about the 2022 semifinal, Matthew Mott said: “We’re not looking back at all with this group. One of its big mantras is staying present.They are a different team, too, than when we took them on.”

“I think, when we go back to that semifinal, obviously on a good pitch in Adelaide, we put India in and that was a risk. I thought they weren’t sure what a good score was.

“I think the approach now is maybe they come hard at us and try and maximise the powerplay and put the score out of our reach. I think we have got two very good batting line-ups, the bowlers are all class too. So I think it is all going to come down to on the day who sums up those conditions the quickest and who puts the opposition on the backfoot first,” he added.

India have certainly been playing more proactive T20I cricket in the recent past. Led by Rohit Sharma, the Asian giants have managed to put pressure on the opposition sides in the first 10 overs.

India sent a warning notice in the T20 World Cup Super 8 match against Australia, tearing into the star-studded Aussie bowling line-up in St Lucia. Despite losing Virat Kohli for 0, Rohit did not slow down as he tore into Mitchell Starc, hitting the left-arm pacer for four sixes in a 29-run over. Rohit hit a 41-ball 92 as India batted Australia out of the contest with 205 on the board — the highest total against Australia in men’s T20 World Cups.

Meanwhile, England coach Matthew Mott did not play down the possibility of Virat Kohli finding form in the big semi-final. Kohli has been far from his best in the tournament so far, but the former captain has never scored less than 50 in a T20 World Cup semi-final.

“Virat has proven his class over a very long period of time. He’s one of the players we’ve prepared well for. We know how he can play; we know how destructive he can be and we also know his game smarts. If the game demands an innings of a different nature, he’s got that skill.

“So, he’s definitely a key player for them and like we’ve said throughout this tournament what’s happened throughout this tournament means nothing tomorrow when we face off against each other – big players step up in the big moments We’re hoping our players do that but you can expect him to do exactly the same,” Mott said.