England captain Jos Buttler has put up a subtle warning for the Indian team ahead of the semi-final clash at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on June 27, Thursday. Butter mentioned that they are aware that the Indian team will come up against England with a full aggressive approach and that they will look to do the same. The two teams will square-off against each other in the semi-final No. 2 of the T20 World Cup 2024. The team that will emerge victorious will advance into the final of the tournament and will face South Africa in Barbados on June 29, Sunday.
Team India will look to avenge the semi-final loss of the T20 World Cup 2022. India will look to maintain their unbeaten run in the tournament as they have won six matches on the trot. Meanwhile, England had a topsy-turvy ride in the group stage and dominated the Super 8s, barring the close loss vs South Africa. The defending champions will be up against the same opponent, whom they faced in the knockouts of their title-winning campaign.
Buttler admitted that India have opted for an aggressive approach in the white-ball format ever since their semi-final loss in 2022. However, he also affirmed that England are aware of the threat that India can pose and are eager to counter-attack.
“I think you plan everything to go well and, of course, there will be time in the game when you are playing such a good team like India. You will be under pressure, and you will be forced to be reactive and try and throw the punches back. This time we are playing against a very different India side and the way Rohit leads his team and how he bats especially,” Buttler said in a video posted by the England Cricket Board on their website.
“They play with a hell of lot of freedom so they will be very aggressive, which probably was a shift for them after the tournament, and they played like that in the 50-over World Cup as well. I think they are very confident in that stye of play and, yes, we need to be ready for that. Like every other game, we sort of have to assess the conditions and how the wicket will play or what will be the good score. But we know that they will be aggressive, and we will do the same,” Buttler added.
Buttler also recalled the memories from England’s 10-wicket triumph over India and mentioned Suryakumar Yadav’s wicket to be crucial one.
“Great memories and a very special day. One of the great games in the England shirt and the standout moments were getting Surya out as he was having an unbelievable tournament, so that was up there. And the chase as well, getting off to a good start in those kinds of chases in the semi-final and to get that sort of start was vital and the start in the first over which settled me down,” Buttler said.
