‘Bit more pressure on them’ – Dinesh Karthik reckons India have lot more to lose in semi-final clash against England

Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has stated that India will be under more pressure to succeed than their opponents England during the T20 World Cup semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium.

Barring one underwhelming outing against South Africa in the Super 8 stage, India have looked in great touch throughout the tournament and deservedly find themselves in the semi-finals.

Karthik, however, believes the tag of defending champions and favourites could be a burden on Suryakumar Yadav’s side. England, on the other hand, can come in with a lot less pressure knowing they are the underdogs.

“It’s a home World Cup. India are defending champions. India are the team that is obviously the most hunted team in the World Cup, considering the cricket that they’ve played in the lead-up to the World Cup. So, everything suggests that India will be the team that will probably start knowing that they are expected to win. So, there’s always a bit more pressure when you start that way,” Dinesh Karthik said during a JioStar media day.

“Even though England had a couple of tough games in Mumbai, they can almost come in and play in a manner which suggests that they have little lesser to lose than India,” Karthik added.

England have been the form side in Super 8 stages

Similar to India, England have also suffered only one defeat in this year’s T20 World Cup, which came against West Indies in the Group Stage as they lost by 30 runs at the same venue as the semi-finals. Harry Brook’s side, however, has since been on a five-match winning run, winning all three of their Super 8 games. 

The two sides go into the game already knowing their opponents in the final. Mitchell Santner-led New Zealand side have already reached the showpiece game, to be played on Sunday, March 8, in Ahmedabad after dismantling South Africa by nine wickets.