Can India Win Their Next Two Matches To Lift 2022 T20 World Cup?
The 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia is now in its final stages with just the semi-finals and grand finale waiting to be played. The T20 World Cup has provided some fantastic games, some predictable results and a number of upsets along the way.
The biggest upset is that hosts and defending champions Australia did not make the semi-finals. South Africa who was almost guaranteed to make the finals ended up losing to the Netherlands in their final game to be eliminated. The four teams that have made it to the semi-finals are England, Pakistan, New Zealand and India.
Will India be able to make it past the semi-finals and then win the finals? Our experts share their expert analysis and predictions below.
T20 Semi-Final: India vs. England
The first T20 World Cup semi-final will see Pakistan take on New Zealand on Nov 09 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Do note that there is a reserve day allotted for both the semi-finals and the final and hence we expect a result in all three games.
The second T20 World Cup semi-final will see crowd favorites India take on England who are the number one side on the ICC T20 rankings. This will be India’s biggest challenge in the T20 World Cup because England does have the best T20 side in our opinion. India will play England on Nov 10 at the Adelaide Oval.
The bookmakers don’t seem to think so though as the have India as the slight betting favorites as of this writing with odds of 1.80 while England are the underdogs with odds of 2.0. Our experts think it should be the other way around though, which means if you are an Indian bettor and not letting your emotions rule you, you should think about putting money on England.
India vs. England – Key Batsmen
India’s top order seemed to have hit their straps as the tournament has progressed and they are in good knick. KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Surya Kumar Yadav are going to be the key players for India and one or two of them need to make big scores for India to challenge England.
The big concern for India is the middle-order as Hardik Pandya has struggled to cut loose like he normally does and India haven’t had success at the World Cup with Dinesh Karthik or Rishab Pant in their last game.
England also has a strong top order with captain Jos Butler and Alex Hales making runs. They will once again be the key players for England along with big hitters Liam Livingstone and Ben Stokes. While India struggle with the middle-order, England have no such concerns as they have great depth with Moeen Ali, Dawid Malan, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran.
Batsman To Bet On: Rohit Sharma
India vs. England – Key Bowlers
India might have the slight edge in the bowling department because they have better swing bowlers who can exploit the conditions at the Adelaide Oval. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh have been exceptional with the new ball and will need to get early breakthroughs.
Chris Woakes will be the only bowler that can get any really swing at the Adelaide Oval. England will rely on pace from Mark Wood and the change of pace from Sam Curran.
Bowler To Bet On: Arshdeep Singh
Outright Result Prediction: We expect this to be a close game but will back India to win only because they are playing at the Adelaide Oval where the conditions suit them more than England.
T20 World Cup Final: India vs. Pakistan
We expect Pakistan to beat New Zealand in the first semi-final as we think the Kiwi batsmen will struggle again a quality spin attack from Pakistan at the SCG. If Pakistan wins and India wins their respective semi-finals, it will set up a massive T20 World Cup final on Nov 13 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
India beat Pakistan in the opening game of the T20 World Cup and Pakistan will dearly like to revenue their loss by beating India in the final of the T20 World Cup. If it turns out to be an India vs. Pakistan T20 World Cup final, we will back India to beat Pakistan again and become the 2022 T20 World Cup champions.
If New Zealand beat Pakistan and end up facing India in the T20 World Cup finals, we are also going to back India to win as we believe India have a stronger batting and bowling unit when compared to the Kiwis.
T20 World Cup Winners: India
