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India will be up against England in the second semifinal of the ICC Men's 2024 T20 World Cup at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday, June 27. The game is being billed as a rematch of the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal in Adelaide in which the Englishmen hammered the Men in Blue by 10 wickets. The winner of the India-England clash will take on South Africa in the final on June 29.
Team India have had a terrific T20 World Cup campaign so far. After cruising through the group stage, they also topped Group 1 in the Super 8 round. In their last match, they got the better of Australia by 24 runs in St Lucia. Sent into bat, the Men in Blue put up 205-5 on the board and then held the Aussies to 181-7.
England recovered from a seven-run loss to South Africa in the Super 8 and confirmed their berth in the knockouts by hammering the United States by 10 wickets in Barbados. Earlier, they had thumped West Indies by eight wickets in St Lucia.
As India and England prepare for the semifinal battle in Guyana on Thursday, we pick a combined XI of the two sides for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), Jos Buttler (wk)
The captains of the two teams, Rohit Sharma and Jos Buttler, would be the openers in the combined XI. While the Indian skipper would lead the side, Buttler would perform the duties of the keeper-batter.
Rohit has 191 runs to his name from six innings at an average of 38.20 and a strike rate of 159.16. He began the tournament with a half-century against Ireland and smashed a brilliant 92 off 41 in the Super 8 game against Australia in St Lucia, slamming seven fours and eight sixes.
Buttler has also done an impressive job for England. Like Rohit, he too has 191 runs from six innings, averaging 47.75 at a strike rate of 159.16. The aggressive batter starred with an unbeaten 83 off 38 balls in the 10-wicket win over the United States. His knock included six fours and seven maximums.
Middle-order & all-rounders: Phil Salt, Suryakumar Yadav, Harry Brook, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel
England opener Phil Salt would come in at No. 3 in the combined XI for the 2024 T20 World Cup. The hard-hitting batter has 183 runs to his name from six innings at an average of 45.75 and a strike rate of 166.36. Salt was Player of the Match for his unbeaten 87 off 47 in the win over West Indies in St Lucia.
Given how quickly he can score, Suryakumar Yadav could be the key to India's batting in the semifinal against England. The swashbuckling batter has 149 runs to his name in six innings at a strike rate of 139.25, with two half-centuries. Suryakumar contributed 50* off 49 against the United States, 53 off 28 against Afghanistan and 31 off 16 in the match against Australia.
England's Harry Brook has slammed 120 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 164.38. The dynamic right-handed batter clubbed 47* off 20 balls against Namibia in the group stage. He also hammered 53 off 37 balls, with the aid of seven fours, as England went down fighting against South Africa in the Super 8 round.
The Indian duo of Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel would be the all-rounders in the combined XI. Pandya has contributed 116 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 145, which includes a half-century. His contributions with the willow have come in crucial phases during the game. With the ball, he has chipped in with eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.47.
Axar's numbers in the T20 World Cup might look rather mundane. But, he has played a significant role in India's progress to the knockouts. The left-arm spinner has five wickets to his name at an economy rate of 7.21. With the bat, he has contributed a couple of crucial cameos.
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh would be the frontline pacers in the combined India-England 2024 T20 World Cup XI. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid would be the main slow bowler, with Kuldeep Yadav narrowly missing out.
Archer has been highly effective, claiming nine wickets in seven innings at an average of 17.44 and an economy rate of 7.02. Luckily for England, he hasn't had too many fitness concerns so far. The defending champions will be hoping that he can carry on his impressive form.
As for Bumrah, he has been exceptional, with 11 scalps from six innings at an average of 8.54 and an economy rate of 4.08. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep has also done an excellent job with the ball. He is India's leading wicket-taker in the tournament currently, with 15 scalps at an economy rate of 7.41.
Seasoned England leggie Rashid has nine wickets from seven innings at an average of 17.88 and an economy rate of 6.70. The 36-year-old starred with 4-11 against Oman and 2-13 versus the United States.
