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Led by Rohit Sharma, Team India is gearing up to face England in the ICC T20 World Cup second semi-final in Guyana on Thursday. India has maintained an unbeaten record in the tournament so far.
The Indian team topped their group, eliminating Australia from the tournament with a victory, while Afghanistan’s win over Bangladesh also contributed to India’s progression. Interestingly, India will face the same team that defeated them in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final under Rohit’s leadership.
In the 50-over World Cup, India remained unbeaten but lost to Australia in the final. Their T20 World Cup campaign has mirrored a similar trajectory. However, former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu believes that luck will favor India this time. Rayudu was present at India’s practice session and even posed a question to Rohit Sharma during his press conference.
Ambati Rayudu – Luck Will Favour India Because They Played Selfless Cricket
“There’s a brilliant atmosphere in the Indian team. Everyone is quiet and composed. I think they are brilliantly prepared. Rohit has been calm as well and knows his role as well as that of others in the team. Whatever is controllable, they are controlling it brilliantly. The uncontrollable is a luck which ofcourse they will need. But I feel luck will favor India because of their selfless cricket,” Rayudu said to Star Sports.
After engaging with Rohit Sharma in the press conference and receiving reassuring responses, Ambati Rayudu shifted focus to Virat Kohli. Despite the former Indian captain tallying just 66 runs in the current World Cup, Rayudu remains confident that Kohli will deliver a significant performance against England.
“The way he (Kohli) was hitting the ball and reading the length of the bowlers, especially the spinners, it just feels like a matter of time before he gets a big score. Just because he didn’t score runs doesn’t mean he is not in form. He just needs luck to go his way and I think the prayers of billions will make it happen,” Rayudu said on Kohli.
In previous editions of the T20 World Cup, the former Indian captain consistently delivered runs for India. He topped the run-scoring charts in the T20 World Cup 2022 with 296 runs. However, in the current tournament, he has faced challenges in scoring substantial runs.
Rain threatens to disrupt the highly anticipated second semi-final between India and England in Guyana. Current reports indicate an increasing likelihood of rain in the area. The cut-off time for a 10-over match is set at 4:14 pm local time, which is 5 hours and 44 minutes after the scheduled start.
If the match is washed out, India will advance to the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 by virtue of topping their group in the Super 8s. This potential scenario aligns with the stroke of luck that Ambati Rayudu had mentioned earlier.
India’s unbeaten streak in the tournament has been a significant talking point, particularly their decisive victory over Australia that eliminated them from the competition.
