Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Malik Ouzia

T20 World Cup: England ready for aggressive India, insists Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler has warned his England team to expect a different India tomorrow to the one they blew away in the semi-final of the last T20 World Cup.

Having come within 45 minutes of being washed out of the tournament during the group stage, the defending champions have roared back to form.

At the same stage two years ago, England produced one of their greatest-ever T20 performances to hammer Rohit Sharma's side by 10 wickets in Adelaide. That defeat, however, prompted a major rethink of India's passive approach to the format, and Buttler has no doubt that the tournament favourites will pose a more daunting challenge in Guyana.

"We're playing against very different India side here," the England captain said. "The way Rohit leads his team and the way he bats, they play with a hell of a lot of freedom and try to be very aggressive.

Ready: Jos Buttler (AP)

"That was probably a shift for them after that [2022] tournament and they played like that in the 50-over World Cup as well. They're very confident in that style of play and we'll have to be ready for that. We know they'll be aggressive and we'll be the same."

The build-up to tomorrow afternoon's game has been something of a logistical nightmare. India always knew they would play their semi-final in Guyana if reaching the last-four.

England, by contrast, were left in limbo until the full last-four line-up was confirmed, and the scarcity of both flights to and accommodation in Georgetown mean almost no English fans or media have been able to make the trip.

Added to the uncertainty is a poor weather forecast and the bizarre fact that while the other semi-final, between Afghanistan and South Africa overnight tonight, has a reserve day in case of rain, England's does not. A washout would see India advance by virtue of finishing top of their Super Eight group.

"You can only control what you can control," Buttler said. "We'll just have to wait and see and be ready for whatever situations arise. Generally, when people talk about the weather, you end up getting the full game in."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.