Who between England & New Zealand will Team India face in T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final?

Netherlands' stunning win over South Africa on November 6 guaranteed Team India's place in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-finals. The Men in Blue lost to Proteas in their third match before beating Bangladesh in the previous encounter to top the Group 2 points table. The upcoming match against Zimbabwe will be a mere formality, but the Rohit Sharma-led team will look to end the group-stage campaign with an emphatic victory. Ahead of the India vs Zimbabwe fixture, we take a look at India's possible semi-final opponent. 

Who will Team India face in the T20 WC 2022 semi-final?

As per the final Group 1 standings, New Zealand was the first team to qualify for the semi-final. England, meanwhile, qualified as the second team after beating Sri Lanka on Saturday. England's victory over Sri Lanka meant Australia's title defence was over as they finish third in the group. Sri Lanka, Ireland and Afghanistan complete the current standings. Coming to the matchups, if Team India manages to beat Zimbabwe, they will not only top the Group 2 points table but face England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022. The Group 1 winners New Zealand, on the other hand, will be facing the runners-up from Group 2 (Pakistan or Bangladesh) in the semi-final.

India vs Zimbabwe T20 WC 2022 preview: At a glance

The match against Zimbabwe will be an opportunity for India's batting line-up to get runs under the belt before the big semi-final. Team India skipper Rohit Sharma who is yet to play a big knock in the T20 World Cup 2022 will look to come good against Zimbabwe. KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli will also look to play an impactful knock. Team India, will be runaway favourites to crush Regis Chakabva’s side whose campaign started in style but faded away towards the end. 

Speaking of Zimbabwe, the batting line-up hasn't exactly fired and with the Indian bowlers being impressive through the tournament, it would be difficult for Zimbabwe to put up a stellar show against the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami. Sikandar Raza has had an outstanding tournament and is having a dream 2022 season. The all-rounder would like to finish the tournament on a high. All in all, beating India would not only be a historic moment for Zimbabwe but a top-four finish means they will earn automatic qualification for the next ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.