India-England Semis Will Be Humdinger; Bumrah, Tilak Give India Edge: Gavaskar

Bengaluru: The legendary Sunil Gavaskar expects the T20 World Cup semifinal between India and England to be a "humdinger" with the hosts holding a slight edge because of their flexible batting unit and the presence of a hard-to-read pace ace in Jasprit Bumrah.

Reigning champions India will take on England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday in a repeat of the semifinal matches in the 2022 and 2024 editions.

In 2022, England subjugated India by 10 wickets at Adelaide while Rohit Sharma's team tamed the Three Lions two years later at the Providence, West Indies.

"Both sides are very well-matched. They have got batting and bowling. They have got middle-order and, you know, the finisher. Both teams have variety in their bowling," Gavaskar told select media here.

"England have got a few players who have played in the IPL, who are familiar with Indian conditions, familiar with the pressure of playing a knockout. So, I think it is going to be a humdinger," he added.

However, Gavaskar said the tussle between pace talisman Bumrah and England batters like the in-form Harry Brook will have a significant role in shaping the outcome of the match. He advocated for Bumrah's early introduction in the powerplay.

"I do believe that he (Bumrah) should be bowling at least two overs in the powerplay because as a new-ball bowler, if he can get those early wickets... Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Harry Brook, he will have pretty much broken the back of the England batting," the former captain explained.

"So, him coming in to bowl the fifth over, when four overs have already been bowled and the batters have got about 20 deliveries, means that both batters have got about 8-10 deliveries to settle in. So, wouldn't it be better then for Bumrah and for India if Bumrah were to bowl to them first and get them out?" he wondered.

So, what makes Bumrah such a devastating bowler across formats? Gavaskar cited his ability to be an enigma as a major factor.

"If you have read Andre Agassi's autobiography (Open), how did he pick up where Boris Becker was going to serve? He wasn't able to pick his serve the first few times and then he realised that if he had his tongue on the left as he tossed the ball up, then he would be serving wide. If he had his tongue on the right, then he would be serving on the centre line.

"But in Bumrah's case, he doesn't give you anything away. Therefore, it's very, very difficult to read him. And because he sort of goes wide and then delivers the ball, you often tend to think it's going to basically come in. But he can get the ball to move away. So that's why he's been such a devastating bowler in all three forms," he noted.

Another advantage India have, as per Gavaskar, is a highly flexible batting unit, and he gave the example of Tilak Varma batting at various positions in this ICC showpiece.

Tilak batted at No. 3 initially, but moved down to No. 5 and 6 once the team management decided to draft in Sanju Samson into the eleven.

However, the left-hander made telling contributions in the Super Eight matches against Zimbabwe and the West Indies, guiding India to the semifinals.

"I have always thought of Tillak Varma as a very smart cricketer, somebody who assesses the situation well and then plays accordingly. I think down the order at No.5 or 6, he really can see what is the need of the hour. I think the way he batted (vs Windies), he really took the pressure off Samson.

"If he (Tilak) was struggling, then Samson would have had to take a few risks. In recent times, we have been told that batting order can be flexible. And I think India is fortunate to have players like Tilak who can bat at 3 or even bat at 5 or 6," he added.

Veteran batter Jos Buttler might be struggling a bit in this tournament, but Gavaskar reminded India of the dangers of taking the Englishman lightly.

"He can be the kind of dangerous player that Abhishek Sharma is. So, I think getting Buttler's wicket early is going to be a ideal. He can be, as we've seen in the IPL and in the ICC events, such a destructive batter.

"He's going through a lean patch, just like, you know, Samson went through or even Suryakumar Yadav was going through for some time. So, let's keep our fingers crossed that, you know, he doesn't find firm on Thursday," he said.