T20 World Cup 2024: Can India get past the trauma of Adelaide 2022 - Cricket Winner

After talking about a change in approach for a year India ended up going back to their template of starting slow, taking it deep, and catching up in the end. Their batting in the 2022 World Cup was template-based. Their strategy looked outdated with India going into a shell. Virat Kohli saved them against Pakistan but the style of play came back to bite them hard.

At 100 in 15 overs, India’s innings was going nowhere. Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a 28-ball 27. Virat Kohli too went on to get an eventual 40-ball 50. If not for a Hardik Pandya special, India would have finished far below par. They ended up on 168, which was just part on a track that India’s batters found hard to get going.

At half-time, the game looked balanced. The pitch looked two-paced with the ball gripping. India though had another problem. With Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja out, the bowling line-up missed an X-Factor and a consistent bowler. Axar Patel was still not at his consistent best as he is today and Ravichandran Ashwin went into his shell.

With few weapons to bank on India’s initial hope was on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has a good record against England’s openers. He found swing, but Jos Buttler and Alex Hales killed the game in the first three overs taking him on. India was on the back foot throughout the game. England’s openers kept going hard.

The two batters made the pitch look far different and handed India a humiliating ten-wicket defeat in the World Cup Semi-Final. For India, what came back to bite them was their style of play. After promising intentful Cricket for a year they went back to a style of taking the game deep. A lot followed the tournament. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were left out of the set-up for a year. Rohit Sharma’s promised aggression came in the World Cup and remained as he lived and died by his own sword in the World Cup Final defeat.

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The duo came back to the T20 side and Rohit Sharma continued to display aggression. Virat Kohli has also tried to show intent but is yet to produce what he is known for. The defeat against England in 2022 marked a huge change. It was a traumatizing night and India will know that they are in for a challenge. While a spot in the Final looks good, India will know that they should take it one step at a time with a huge game on hand.

Both sides come into the game with a lot of respect. Rohit Sharma made a statement in the last Super Eight game with a 41 ball 92. Can he stay aggressive under pressure though? Can Virat Kohli join the party? Will Jasprit Bumrah make a difference? These are some questions to keep in mind. Moeen Ali recently spoke of the challenges as well. He remembers the clinical manner in which the last Semi-Final went. He now hopes for a repeat but also acknowledges the challenge with India’s bowling a bit better and batting a lot more intentful.

India though will be the more mindful side. The England bowlers set it up well with India struggling by the halfway mark. Keeping that in mind, India will ensure that even if they lose they will not let down on intent. With England’s batting depth a par score is unlikely to exist and India will be very careful with how they approach their aggression.