England win toss, elect to field against India in T20 World Cup semifinal
MUMBAI — England won the toss and elected to field first against India in the second semifinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, with both teams battling for a place in the final against New Zealand.
England made one change to their lineup, bringing in Jamie Overton in place of Rehan Ahmed, while India retained the same playing XI that defeated the West Indies in their final Super 8 match.
England captain Harry Brook said the pitch appeared favorable for chasing.
“Looks a good wicket, hope to get a good start and then chase it down. India have a lot more experience, we’ll try and assess conditions and play at our best. T20 is fickle. The way we’ve played, we’ve scraped through and hold us in good stead,” Brook said after the toss.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav said his side would have chosen to bat first as well.
“We’d have batted. Wind around, don’t think there’ll be dew. Mood in camp is positive. We’ve tightened the screws; our brand of cricket has been different. Best wicket, credit to the curator and groundsman,” he said.
Suryakumar indicated that dew was unlikely to play a major role in the match. To reduce the possibility of dew later in the evening, anti-dew repellent has been applied to the ground to help maintain a balanced contest between the teams.
India’s lineup includes Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, captain Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah.
England’s playing XI features Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, captain Harry Brook, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid. (Source: IANS)
