There was an interesting moment before the kick-off of India’s T20 World Cup semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday when India’s 2024 T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma chatted with current skipper Suryakumar Yadav. The conversation caught the attention of fans and cameras just before a crucial game.At the throw-in, the England captain Harry Brooke Won and elected to pitch first. India captain Suryakumar Yadav said his team would also prefer to bat as they feel the pitch looks good and the conditions are suitable for batting.“We wanted to bat first. A semi-final, an important match and there is wind. Don’t think there will be too much dew. It (the pitch) looks good. The best one. Thanks to all the curators and groundskeepers. Same team,” Surya said at the toss.Watch Rohit Sharma in attendance IND vs ENG T20 World Cup Semi-finals:Brooke explained England’s decision and admitted that India had more experience on the field.“We’re going to have a bowl. Looks like a good wicket and hopefully we can get off to a good start with the ball. They obviously have more experience in that than us. T20 cricket is a fickle game and you never know what’s going to happen. Hopefully we can keep them (the crowd) quiet. Overton replaces Rayhan.”Their journey to the semi-finals has been a mixed bag for India. They narrowly defeated the United States and then defeated other teams in the group stages. However, they suffered a humiliating defeat to South Africa in the Super Eights, before registering important wins against Zimbabwe and the West Indies to secure their place in the last four.England’s road was not smooth at first. They eked out a win over Nepal, lost to the West Indies and struggled against Scotland and Italy. But their form improved in the Super 8 stage, defeating Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand, becoming the first team to advance to the semi-finals.At the Wankhede, England had played two games before and had a 1-1 record, while India won their only match at the venue against the United States by 29 runs. Historically, the two teams have been evenly matched on this soil, with England winning in 2012 and India equalizing in 2025.
