Indian team will have to raise the level of its game to win over England in the semi-finals: Shivam Dubey’s coach Satish Samant.

Mumbai: The Indian cricket team will play the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026 against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. The winning team will play the final against New Zealand on March 8 in Ahmedabad. Star all-rounder Shivam Dubey’s coach Satish Samant has said that the Indian team will have to raise the level of its game to defeat England in the semi-finals.

Speaking to the news agency, Satish Samant said, “The pitch of the semi-final match between India and England to be held at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium will also be like the pitch of the semi-final played between South Africa and New Zealand in Kolkata. There may be a little more bounce in Wankhede. The pitch of Wankhede helps the fast bowlers in the beginning of the match. Therefore, if we win the toss, bowling first will be a better option. Dew will play an important role. Dew is more. So bowling in the second innings will be difficult and saving 200 runs will also be difficult. So bowling first is a better option.”

Satish Samant said that England’s bowling is undoubtedly good, but if the Indian team has to bat first then it should score 210 to 215. Our batsmen are used to playing at Wankhede, so they should definitely score this much. This will be beneficial. At the same time, while bowling, India should try to restrict England to less than 200 runs. Runs above 200 will affect the outcome of the match.

He said that players playing for Mumbai Indians in IPL can do well in this match. He is used to playing on this pitch. Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya can do better. Shivam Dubey can also do well. The role of Hardik and Shivam will be very important. Both can bat well in the middle overs and finish the innings well. If our openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson bat well then our position will be strong in the match.

On Shivam Dubey, he said, “Shivam has performed well in whatever opportunities he has got. One or two matches can be bad for any player. Shivam has made good use of whatever opportunities he has got so far. He has also scored a half-century. I think Shivam will have an effective innings in the semi-finals too.”

On the performance of the England cricket team, he said that as the tournament has progressed, the team’s performance has continuously improved. Captain Harry Brook is in form. Lower order batsmen are scoring runs. The team’s confidence has increased due to the victory against New Zealand in the Super-8. In bowling also, England has Joffra Archer against whom India will have to play cautiously.

Samant said that the Indian team will have to raise the level of its game to defeat England in the semi-finals.