India will take on England for a place in the Twenty20 World Cup final against South Africa

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) India's dogged bid to end an 11-year World Cup title drought will face a turning point on Thursday when Rohit Sharma's line-up faces defending champions England in the semi-finals Twenty20 World Cup final.

The the pursuit of a title has become urgent for India and his vast legion of cricket fans since losing by six wickets to Australia in last year's 50-over World Cup final. India hosted that tournament and it created a strong sense of anticipation.

India now has a chance to atone. India's in-form line-up faces a English team that depended on other results to sneak into the second leg and also stumbled in the Super Eights, losing to South Africa.

The winner of the semi-final between India and England will play the final against South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on Saturday. South Africa defeated Afghanistan by nine wickets in Wednesday's first semi-final.

India's players may be preoccupied with their memories of their last encounter against England at this stage of a T20 World Cup. India lost by 10 wickets to England in Adelaide, Australia in a 2022 semi-final in what could be the low point of their World Cup chase. That loss still gnaws at me.

Current England captain Jos Buttler was a key figure in that defeat, making an unbeaten 80 as England chased down India's 168-6 without the loss of a wicket. Now England must find a new way to beat an Indian team that looks to be in unstoppable form.

Rohit was fantastic throughout the tournament in the United States and the Caribbean, scoring 92 runs in India's last win over Australia. Jasprit Bumrah was effective on both New York and Caribbean pitches, picking up 11 wickets.

Indian fans are far more likely to be England fans in the crowd at Providence Stadium, as they often are around the world. That will give the Indian team a taste of the anticipation that follows them in every match, and even more so now, as Indian fans crave success in the World Cup.

Wherever we play, be it bilateral series or ICC tournaments, the Indian cricket team is always under pressure, Rohit said. That's the fact. Most guys are used to it, so it's important to have a little calm in the locker room.

Rohit said India was unlikely to deviate from the game plan they had employed so successfully throughout the tournament, most recently in the 24-run win over Australia on Monday.

We don't want to do anything else, he said. We want to play the same way, understand what the individuals have to do in a given situation and play freely.

So far we have done that consistently and in the semi-finals we must try to do the same. It will be fun (to play against England). Nothing changes for us. We want to focus on what we can do as a team and get into the game.

England are also likely to emphasize aggression in their approach and especially as a means to thwart Bumrah.

They are definitely coming out much harder in the powerplay with the bat, England head coach Matthew Mott said. The way Rohit has led from the front is clear for all to see. But that also presents a unique opportunity for our bowling attack to take early wickets.

We had to play from behind and against adversity for most of this tournament. We would love to land that first punch, get to the front and really hammer home.

The one thing neither team can control is the weather and rain forecast for Thursday, which could have a major effect on the match and its outcome. Extra time has been allowed to try and get a result, but in the event of a washout and no reserve day, India will come through after the Super Eight as the higher-ranked team.

___

AP Cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket