India will take on England in the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5. The Men in Blue defeated the West Indies by 5 wickets to equalize 196 with 4 balls remaining. England, on the other hand, have gained momentum from the Super Eights.

Before the match, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar dropped his comments about England player Will Jacks, who plays a similar role in the team, and compared him with India all-rounder Shivam Dube.

Like having Shivam Dube-Sunil Gavaskar

Speaking on ANI ahead of the DP World Celebrity Golf event, Gavaskar said, “It’s like having Shivam Dube. We saw in India’s match against West Indies that Dube hit two boundaries in one game, taking the pressure off (from his team).”

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“He’s in great form and sometimes you get into a tournament where everything goes in your favor. Even with the bat, he can score runs for his team. Having someone like him batting at No. 7 is a real advantage for England.”

Can Will Jacks cause trouble for India?

Sunil Gavaskar also pointed out the potential threat to Suryakumar Yadav and his team in the England game, snubbing the likes of Harry Brook, Jofra Archer, Phil Salt and Adil Rashid, with the 1983 World Cup winner again opting for Will Jacks Being a threat to the Indian team.

There are four left-handers in the Indian team namely Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dubel. However, the first two sticks top the list. In this case, Will Jacks can be seen taking the new ball and providing the team with an early breakthrough.

Gavaskar further added, “If things turn around at the Wankhede Stadium, he might be in the minority. So, maybe how Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav or Hardik Pandya will handle him will be a key feature.”

“Maybe he might not be able to bowl as much to the left-handers in the team, whether it’s Abhishek, Tilak, Dube or anyone else down the order. The right-handers have to bat more against him.”

Will Jacks is a contender for Player of the Tournament

Will Jacks scored 191 runs in 7 innings with a strike rate of 176.85, 7 wickets and an economy rate of 9.68. He has won four player of the match awards for England in this World Cup, the most of any player, and is also one of the contenders for the best player of the tournament if England reaches the final and wins.

If England finish second, the dew could come into play, as we saw in the last game at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, making the chase that much easier. The toss will be a key factor in the semi-finals, given the dew factor, as both teams will be looking to catch up after winning the toss.

Also read: Will Jacks be ruled out of the T20 World Cup semi-final against India?