(Source X)
The current ICC T20 World Cup 2024 being held in the Caribbean is approaching its crucial stage, with the semifinals of the T20 tournament scheduled to begin on Thursday.
India will face England in an eagerly anticipated semifinal match at Providence Stadium in Guyana. This matchup promises to be an exciting event, pitting reigning champions England against India, who won the inaugural edition of the tournament.
Before this highly anticipated match, former England captain Paul Collingwood, who led England to their first T20 title more than a decade ago, expressed his view that India possesses the best fast bowler in world cricket, Jasprit Bumrah. He believes this gives India a significant advantage heading into the match.
“I think if you had a piece of paper and had to pick a cricket team, in any form of the game, Jasprit Bumrah would be the first name going on that list right at the top. It’s as simple as that,” he began.
He’s the best cricketer in the world at this moment. The skill level, the pace, the deception that he has in T20 cricket are incredible,” the 48-year-old said.
Nevertheless, he also emphasized that England’s strategy would be to aggressively confront Jasprit Bumrah, rather than simply playing defensively to survive his four overs.
“But the one thing I would say is that in the past, England have gone aggressive. If they can take down that spearhead, if they can take down that linchpin, the effect it has on the opposition is huge, and that’s the kind of mentality that England will have to have,” he opined.
He discussed the psychological effect of neutralizing the opposition’s key bowler and suggested that although the strategy carries risk, it could be decisive if England successfully executes it.
“They won’t be taking the conservative approach here, they won’t be looking to just see him off, you saw Travis Head get after Bumrah a couple of times, in the Australia match. And the impact it has if the opposition takes down your spearhead, could dishearten the Indian cricket team,” Collingwood continued.
“So that’s an approach that England may take, but it’s a risky one because we know how skilful and how many wickets Bumrah can take,” he said.
Collingwood also praised Indian captain Rohit Sharma for fostering a strong team mentality in the dressing room and for setting a positive example through his leadership.
“I think the messaging is pretty clear from Rohit Sharma. Whether it’s the messaging in the changing room, or some of the messaging we have seen in his press conferences, where he says it’s not about personal milestones, it’s about strike rates or having an impact on the game, all these things are huge when it comes to players going out and having that belief that the captain and the coach are 100% behind you, and have an impact on the game. And I think it’s seen a massive change in the Indian cricket team,” he explained.
He also highlighted Virat Kohli’s exceptional skill in successfully pursuing target scores with great confidence and effectiveness.
“They’ve always been one of the best chasers in T20 cricket, Virat Kohli at the top of the order, once he knows what rhythm, what style he’s got to play, then he’s one of the best chasers,” he added.
He noticed the change in mentality in the approach the men in blue have opted for in recent years and drew parallels with the aggressive philosophy of the English.
“I’ve seen a massive switch in the Indian cricket team, especially when they are setting targets now, they really want to be aggressive from ball one. In England, they have been doing this for six, seven years, since Eoin Morgan took over in 2016,” Collingwood elaborated.
“They’ve had this really go out and be aggressive from ball one approach. And it seems that they’ve set a benchmark for other teams to follow that and India are no different. So when you’ve got the skill and the batters that the Indian cricket team have, it can be a very powerful and dangerous unit,” he concluded.
