(Cricket news) The Super 12s round has come to a conclusion and it has been an exhilarating one. In the end New Zealand Vs Pakistan and India Vs England are the two Semi-finals to be played at the SCG and the Adelaide Oval respectively. India managed to win 4 of their 5 games with their only loss coming against South Africa as they topped their group. It is safe to say that India haven't played their best cricket in the tournament so far but they have got the job done. Luck has also favored the men in blue which is really important in T20I cricket. India will be hoping to put in a better performance in the semi-final and final in order to bring the cup back.
From the batting perspective the two star players have been Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav. Before the tournament they were considered to be the key players for India and the pair have not disappointed. In 5 innings, Kohli has scored 246 runs which is highest in the whole tournament while SKY has scored 225 runs which is 3rd highest in the tournament. The two have also scored 3 fifties each which is also the highest in the competition. The two have anchored India's innings and while they play together really well, both have managed to do well after the other has got out as well. KL Rahul failed to get going in the first 3 games but later came back by scoring back to back 50s against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Both his innings were quickfire which is a good sign for the team as he will be key in the semis.
Rohit Sharma did score a half century against Netherlands but apart from that it has been a disappointing tournament with the bat for the skipper. The opening pair as a whole hasn't got a good partnership in the tournament so far. Hardik Pandya has been really good with the ball but his batting has been a let down. However he is an impact player who is likely to do well in the most pressure situations. Dinesh Karthik played the first 4 games and didn't play any significant knocks while Rishabh Pant failed to make an impact in the only game he played against Zimbabwe. Axar Patel hasn't got many opportunities to bat while Ravichandran Ashwin has done well in limited opportunities.
As far as the bowling is concerned Arshdeep Singh has been Rohit's go to bowler. In his very first World Cup he has picked up 10 wickets and has bowled well in all parts of the game. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been excellent with the new ball while Mohammed Shami has also done well whenever called upon. Hardik Pandya is doing exactly what was asked of him by hitting the deck hard and getting wickets. India has struggled a little while bowling in the middle overs as Ashwin and Axar have been a little underwhelming. India do have Yuzvendra Chahal on the bench who could be very useful but to play him ahead of Ashwin would mean that India's batting tail would be too long. The skipper and the management has a big decision to make as Chahal would be an incredible asset especially in these conditions and could be worth the risk of going in with a significant weaker batting line-up.
Also read: Pakistan make it to T20 WC semifinals with five-wicket win over Bangladesh
