Buttler averages under nine as England gear up for India in T20 World Cup semi-final

England face their biggest test of the tournament when they take on hosts India in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Thursday evening. But they will do so with their most experienced batter badly out of form.

Jos Buttler's numbers make for grim reading. Scores of 26, 21, 3, 3, 7, 2 and 0 across seven innings give him a tournament average of 8.85 and a total of 62 runs. For a player with 154 T20I caps who once bulldozed attacks for fun, the decline has been steep.

Brook backs Buttler despite poor run

Harry Brook, who has led England impressively since taking over the T20I captaincy, addressed the Buttler question head-on in the pre-match press conference. "There is no reason to question why he is in the team," Brook said. "He has been a powerhouse of a cricketer for many years."

Whether that faith is rewarded at the Wankhede could go a long way in deciding the outcome. England went unbeaten through the Super Eights and have looked a well-balanced side even without major contributions from Buttler. Phil Salt, Will Jacks and Brook himself have all chipped in at various stages. But a semi-final against India on Indian soil is a different proposition entirely.

India's numbers tell a different story

For India, the form chart reads much better. Captain Suryakumar Yadav leads the tournament run charts with 231 runs. Ishan Kishan has been electric, scoring 224 runs at a strike rate of 185.12. With the ball, Varun Chakravarthy's 12 wickets make him the tournament's leading wicket-taker, and Jasprit Bumrah remains the most feared fast bowler in T20 cricket.

A rivalry with a pattern

This is the third consecutive T20 World Cup where India and England meet in the semi-finals. England won in 2022, beating India by 10 wickets in Adelaide. India got their revenge in 2024, winning by 68 runs in Guyana. Both times, the winner of this fixture went on to lift the trophy.

The Wankhede crowd will be firmly behind India. The winner faces New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 8, after Finn Allen's record-breaking 33-ball century destroyed South Africa in the first semi-final on Tuesday.

England know what it takes to win a T20 World Cup. But with their best white-ball batter of the past decade averaging under nine, they will need others to step up if they are to deny India a shot at defending their title on home soil.

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