Michael Atherton says India is not unbeatable ahead of the T20 WC semifinal against England. He highlights their lack of a spare bowler and some batters' poor form, while also noting England's own struggles with their opening pair.
England's Confidence Despite Key Players' Poor Form
Speaking during the Sky Cricket Podcast, Atherton spoke on how England should be having a lot of confidence after reaching the semifinals despite a poor run by openers Jos Buttler and Phil Salt, who have not fired even 200 runs together combined and have got just one half-century, with Salt scoring one. Buttler has looked a shadow of himself, with just 62 runs in seven innings."Everybody said before this tournament that if England are going to win it then a big part of it will be the Salt-Buttler partnership, but neither has really got going," said Atherton. "They will take confidence from winning without that main bit of their team functioning, and they are getting better.Atherton feels that England have not been at the top of their game and has been asking himself that whethet this team will get better during crunch situations like the 2022 title-winning squad.'India Are Not Unbeatable'
The England legend added, "India are an exceptional side, obviously, and I thought the run chase against West Indies under pressure [to qualify for the semi-finals] was exceptional.""But I do not think they are unbeatable. Issues like fielding, bowling if you get after one or two of their main five (bowlers) - they are lacking a spare option in that department.""Some of their batters have not found their best either, so they are not impregnable. I think England have to be at their best to beat them - and my instinct would be an India vs South Africa in the final, a replay of 2024," he concluded. (ANI)(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)Add Asianet Newsable as a Preferred Source
