Sunil Gavaskar reveals India’s two advantages ahead of semi-final clash against England

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar has reckoned that the India vs England semi-final clash would be a humdinger when these two sides clash against each other at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5.

Speaking to select media in Mumbai, Gavaskar has predicted that the contest between the Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and England batters Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Harry Brook would be an interesting battle to watch out for.

“Both sides are very well-matched. They have got batting and bowling. They have got middle-order and, you know, the finisher. Both teams have variety in their bowling,” Gavaskar told select media.

“England have got a few players who have played in the IPL, who are familiar with Indian conditions, familiar with the pressure of playing a knockout. So, I think it is going to be a humdinger,” he added.

Furthermore, Gavaskar requested the Indian team management, headed by Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav, to bring in Jasprit Bumrah early in the innings to knock out the top-order batters before they get settled at the crease.

“I do believe that he (Bumrah) should be bowling at least two overs in the power play because as a new-ball bowler, if he can get those early wickets... Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Harry Brook, he will have pretty much broken the back of the England batting,” he explained.

“So, him coming in to bowl the fifth over, when four overs have already been bowled and the batters have got about 20 deliveries, means that both batters have got about 8-10 deliveries to settle in. So, wouldn’t it be better then for Bumrah and for India if Bumrah were to bowl to them first and get them out?” he wondered.

Moreover, the former Indian skipper asserted that the defending champions India has an advantage of a flexible batting unit, citing an example of Tilak Varma moving from No.3 to the middle-order as per the team’s requirement. 

“I have always thought of Tilak Varma as a very smart cricketer, somebody who assesses the situation well and then plays accordingly. I think down the order at No.5 or 6, he really can see what is the need of the hour. I think the way he batted (vs West Indies), he really took the pressure off Samson,” he noted.

“If he (Tilak) was struggling, then Samson would have had to take a few risks. In recent times, we have been told that batting order can be flexible. And I think India is fortunate to have players like Tilak who can bat at 3 or even bat at 5 or 6,” he concluded.

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