India v England live: Score and updates from T20 World Cup semi-final as cricket giants collide – UK Times

England had already qualified for the semi-final when they faced New Zealand in their final Super 8s game but produced an impressive performance to win by four wickets

Sanju Samson’s brilliant unbeaten 97 from 50 balls saw India chase down 196 with four deliveries to spare to beat West Indies and snatch second place in their Super 8s pool.

Interestingly, Suryakumar Yadav says he would have batted – the India skipper is perfectly happy to be stuck in. It’s the same team as beat the West Indies, unsurprisingly.

India XI: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Sanju Samson (wk), 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Shivam Dube, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.

England bring back Jamie Overton, replacing Rehan Ahmed. An extra seam option for Harry Brook to play with on a slightly less spin-friendly surface.

England’s XI is as follows:

1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Tom Banton, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Liam Dawson, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Adil Rashid.

A potentially vital moment – England skipper Harry Brook wins the toss and elects to bowl first. They will chase with the benefit of dew later.

India may head into this afternoon’s clash as favourites but England won’t be playing with fear in Mumbai, insists Sam Curran.

“It’s an experience as a young cricketer you dream of: playing India in the semi-final of a World Cup,” all-rounder Curran stated.

“India are a quality side but we’ve played a lot of cricket here. We know how to play on these grounds and we know what to expect. The IPL, no question, has helped a lot of that with the players. Having played in the ground many times, there’s not many unknowns.

“We’re not fearing anything and I’m sure both teams are really excited by the challenge. If the crowd are silent, England are probably going to be doing well. That’s our positive way of looking at it.”

A key tactical battle revolves around spin. England have a perfect record this year, winning all nine white-ball games in spin-friendly Sri Lanka.

However, suspicion persists regarding their ability to handle spin in India, where the ball behaves differently.

Harry Brook, for instance, fell to India’s slow bowlers in all five innings during England’s 4-1 loss last winter, with Varun Chakravarthy claiming 14 wickets.

To exploit this perceived weakness, India could introduce left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav to complement Varun and slow left-armer Axar Patel, potentially at a seamer’s expense.

While Jacks is a beacon of England’s ability to win from any position, former captain and current wicketkeeper Jos Buttler finds himself at the opposite end of the form spectrum.

The 35-year-old, widely regarded as England’s greatest white-ball batter, has registered five successive single-figure scores, averaging just 8.85. Is this a temporary blip or a more concerning decline?

Known for performing on the biggest stages, Buttler is under immense pressure to deliver an innings of substance in Mumbai to dispel doubts.

Despite reaching a fifth successive T20 World Cup semi-final, England admit they are yet to deliver a complete performance.

Each of their six victories featured moments on the brink of defeat, yet they consistently dominated decisive junctures. This resilience is often bolstered by crucial ‘bits-and-pieces’ cameos from Will Jacks.

The all-rounder, batting at seven and providing a spare spin option, acknowledges he “would not have much to do if England were flying”, yet has remarkably collected four player of the match awards.

The semi-final’s outcome could significantly impact England head coach Brendon McCullum’s future.

A record third T20 crown might buy McCullum more time after the team’s dismal Ashes performance this winter.

Despite those struggles, England have shown formidable T20 form, winning 16 of their last 18 completed matches. Reaching the final, or securing another trophy, could redefine opinion on McCullum’s tenure.