There are not many chinks visible in India’s armour, ahead of the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, where they will take on England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thurday, 5 February. With a crushing defeat to South Africa serving as a wake-up call, Suryakumar Yadav’s team defeated Zimbabwe and the West Indies to qualify for the last four.
Sanju Samson, who has been found wanting for runs, played a knock of his life in the previous fixture, scoring an unbeaten 50-ball 97 against the men from the Caribbean. The likes of Tilak Varma are also back among runs.
In such a scenario, the only batter whose form, or the lack of it, will be a cause of concern for India is Abhishek Sharma. In six matches, he has scored 80 runs at an average of only 13.33. While his 55 against Zimbabwe showed promise, Sharma’s stocks dipped yet again in the last match, where he could only score 10 runs.
There has been a debate about whether Sharma, despite being ranked number 1 among T20I batters, possess the necessary technique to excel in this game. Addressing the issue in the pre-match press conference, India’s bowling coach, Morne Morkel revealed that the southpaw has never been concerned about his technique.
I think just sometimes this game can be hard on you, cruel on you. Similar situation that Sanju found himself in, that in your career you're going to find moments like this. This is good growth for him, it's good learning for him. For a young guy finding his feet in international cricket, this will only help him down the line and for Indian cricket. But coming back to his form, Abhishek, his way of playing is one or two shots that can find him that rhythm, that can give him that confidence back. And that for me is a pleasing sign. He's not a guy that worries too much about technique. Normally those sort of players take a lot more time to get into confidence. So like I said, it's a fresh page for him tomorrow, opportunity to go and do well. Scored 100 here against England not so long ago. So for him, it's just tapping into those little videos and looking at his feel-good moments and building a blueprint and knowing he's starting on zero tomorrow. It's a new opportunity for him and for him to make a play.Morne Morkel
‘Sanju Always Works Hard at the Nets’
While Sharma is struggling for runs and confidence, both can be found in abundance in the case of Sanju Samson, who is basking in glory after almost single-handedly ensuring his team’s qualification for the semi-finals.
On Samson’s reintegration into the team, Morkel said:
Sanju is a guy that always works hard at the nets. And yeah, I think just that sort of opportunity he got given, he showed his class and his experience, he got the opportunity and as a guy that's played a lot of games, he stepped up in a crucial game. From a coaching or from a mentor sort of side, it was just about giving him the backing. Although he sort of lost his place in the team, for him it is always to make sure he gets the quality work in because you never know in a tournament that situation like we found ourselves can always be there. So credit to him for not losing that hope, keep on working hard, keep on grooving on his strengths and then taking the opportunity. I think in professional sports it's all about staying ready so you don't have to get yourself ready, I can say that. And yeah, credit to him for keeping him calm and fighting through that tough little period and putting in a solid performance for India.Morne Morkel
‘England Are a Street-Smart Team’
On Thursday, India will face the only team who have a better win percentage in T20Is than them since Harry Brook assumed captaincy — England. Assessing the opposition, Morkel has had this to say:
England are a team that's street smart. Obviously, there's a lot of quality in their side, batting quite long, deep, which makes them a very dangerous side. And then with the ball also, they've got wicked taking options. I think the way they approach a T20 game, fearless, trying to take the game on, will give you opportunities and makes them a dangerous side. So I feel tomorrow is going to be a good shootout between two aggressive teams. And the side that can hold their nerves and play the conditions and read some of the conditions quite well and the quickest, I reckon will come out on top.Morne Morkel
‘Dew Is Always a Big Concern’
England are a team that's street smart. Obviously, there's a lot of quality in their side, batting quite long, deep, which makes them a very dangerous side. And then with the ball also, they've got wicked taking options. I think the way they approach a T20 game, fearless, trying to take the game on, will give you opportunities and makes them a dangerous side. So I feel tomorrow is going to be a good shootout between two aggressive teams. And the side that can hold their nerves and play the conditions and read some of the conditions quite well and the quickest, I reckon will come out on top.
I probably will have a better indication in terms of what the surface is going to play like tomorrow. At the moment, because of the heat, they have given it a little bit of water. So it's quite soft, so it's quite hard to get a proper, 100% accurate read on it. But are we expecting it to be a good wicket, high scoring game? We're preparing ourselves for tough conditions and then from there we will assess. But yeah, so I think if you go in with a mindset that it's going to be a high scoring game and we need to be up at the standard. I'd say that's a good place to be at.Morne Morkel
On whether dew, and subsequently, the toss will have a significant role to play, Morkel said:
Dew is always a big concern. But that's again something you can't control the toss. I think here at Wankhede there's always that extra bit of bounce. Guys can trust the bounce and it through the line. But in saying that, that can also, as a bowler, bring you into the game. I just felt or feel that the margins here is a lot smaller, the ball travels. It's quite a small ground. So, yeah, you just need to be really fighting that over, stay in the moment and compete every ball because like I said, a batters strength can also be his weakness on the surface. So it's sometimes not to go too defensive and keep on attacking, because opportunities can come.Morne Morkel