England opt to bowl first against India in second T20 World Cup semifinal
- Last updated: March 5, 2026 | 18:04 ..
Captain Harry Brook called correctly at the coin toss and England opted to bowl first against India in their Twenty20 World Cup semifinal on Thursday.
India was unchanged from its win against the West Indies on Sunday. England made one change, bringing back pacer Jamie Overton for spinner Rehan Ahmed.
The pitch at the iconic Wankhede Stadium should aid batters and a high-scoring contest was on the cards. Evening dew should aid the chasing side.
The winner will take on New Zealand in the final on Sunday at Ahmedabad.
England and India are playing their third straight T20 World Cup semifinal.
England beat India by 10 wickets in Sydney in 2022 and ultimately won its second title. India then beat England by 68 runs in the 2024 semifinal at Georgetown and went on to its second title, too.
Defending champion India's only loss in the tournament so far was against South Africa.
England have lost only once, too, against the West Indies in the first round, also at Mumbai.
Lineups:
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook (captain), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
Associated Press