Suryakumar Yadav vs Adil Rashid: R Ashwin picks key battle for IND vs ENG T20 World Cup semi-final

Surya Kumar Yadav vs Adil Rashid (Photo by Matt Roberts-ICC/ICC via Getty Images/ (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

Ravichandran Ashwin believes that the battle between Indian captain and star batter Suryakumar Yadav and ace spinner Adil Rashid could shape the direction of the T20 World Cup semi-final. The highly-anticipated clash is set to take place at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5. The team which wins this encounter will meet New Zealand in the summit clash on Sunday, in Ahmedabad.

Ashwin opined that if India could chase down a 196-run target against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in their most recent fixture, they won’t have too many problems against England’s bowling attack, which he described as “nothing special as such.”

“If we can chase 195 against the West Indies, we can do that against England as well. Their bowling is nothing special as such,” Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

“We are playing in India, we are playing at the Wankhede, our favourite ground, so we have the edge. But having the edge does not mean that we will win. No excuse will work, your batting, bowling and fielding have to be on point. It will not work if they say ‘if only we had done that’. We just need a little luck,” he added.

India have struggled a bit against off-spinners in the power play. The presence of several left-handed batters in the top-order has been exploited by opposition teams as they have used their off-spinners to strange them. The top-ranked batter in T20Is, Abhishek Sharma, has been dismissed thrice by off-spinners inside the power play. In the last game, he got out to left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein.

Will Jacks could hold the key against Abhishek in the semi-final. However, Adil Rashid’s four overs, especially the ones he will bowl in the middle could decide the result of the semis. The veteran leg-spinner has picked up 14 wickets in 17 innings against India in T20Is, averaging 32.71. He would have to bring his A-game to the fore against a strong Indian batting line-up.

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