The second semi-final clash of the 20-20 World Cup 2022 is just a day away. India is all set to take on England in the crucial encounter on Thursday at the Adelaide Oval. The Indian media has been hyping their team as the favourites to win the clash, but Ben Stokes, the star English player, believes otherwise.
When asked if he agreed with the media about India being the favourites, Stokes said that only the Indian media considered England the underdogs. He added that the team will focus on itself in the encounter rather than the opposition.
“According to the Indian media, we definitely will be (underdogs). But one thing we will definitely try and do is focus more on ourselves rather than too much on India. We know if we play anywhere near as well as we know we can, we are a very hard team to beat,” he said.
We didn’t take a backward step: Ben Stokes
England defeated India in a must-win group match at Edgbaston at the end of the 2019 World Cup, with Stokes scoring 79 off 54 balls as England posted a match-winning 337 for seven batting first. Stokes was asked if that win would be a factor this time.
“I think the result maybe you don’t look at. But it’s the way we went out and played, the mindset and mentality we had in a do-or-die game. We didn’t take a backward step so I think we can take a lot of confidence knowing if we go in with a similar mindset hopefully we’ll do all right,” he said.
In the meantime, as they prepare to face England, India hopes to end its World Cup trophy drought. The event’s second semi-final match is set to take place on November 10th. The team led by Rohit Sharma will look to extend their tournament dominance. On the other hand, England’s star-studded lineup will look to put India under pressure in the crucial match.
