England all-rounder Ben Stokes has stated that they will play against a very strong opposition – India during the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022. He, however, added that England are a team that likes to focus more on themselves rather than others.
However, India and England will take on each other in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, November 10. The Indian team topped Group 2 with eight points, winning four of their five Super 12 matches whereas England finished second in Group 1, registering victories over Afghanistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka as well.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Stokes replied: “We know we need to get this game done on Thursday against a very strong Indian team, which obviously no one will ever take lightly because of the players that they have in their squad. But we are a team that likes to focus more on ourselves than try and think about the opposition.”
Both India and England have won the T20 World Cup once each. While the Indian team emerged victorious in the inaugural edition in 2007, the England team were champions in 2010 as well.
Being one of the senior members of the team, Ben Stokes will try to do well against India. However, the veteran has not had a great time in the tournament so far.
“I hope so, because we’ve got two more games now to hopefully be a part of and hopefully lift the trophy at the end,” he stated.
However, the veteran also opened up on his important knock in the 42* in the must-win Super 12 match against Sri Lanka in Sydney. While chasing 142 to seal a place in the semis, England lost half their side for 111 as well but Ben Stokes guided the team to win with a stunning knock.
“Just chilled. Knew what I had to do. I assessed pretty early that I was going to try my hardest to be there at the end. The situation itself wasn’t too much of an ask. It was basically just a run-a-ball, but the wicket was slowing up. So I assessed and decided that I’ll be there till the end,” Ben Stokes concluded.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
