"Best cricketer in the world": Collingwood hails Bumrah ahead of India vs England T20 WC semifinal clash

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 27 (ANI): Ahead of his side's ICC T20 World Cup semifinal clash against India, former England cricketer Paul Collingwood hailed Men in Blue pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, calling him the "best cricketer in the world".

It will be a rematch of the semifinal from the 2022 edition of the tournament as a red-hot Team India will meet England in the second semifinal of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup at Guyana on Thursday. The last time these two nations faced off in a Men's T20 World Cup semi-final was just 19 months ago in Adelaide, when a remarkable opening partnership between Jos Buttler and Alex Hales saw England cruise to 10 wicket win that forced a complete rethink in India's T20 strategy and move away from more established superstars to younger blood, from conservatism to aggression.

This time around, India has more batting firepower led by experienced campaigners skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, more attacking options through the middle overs, and more variation in their attack. But the defending champions will take some beating, especially with skipper Jos Buttler and his new opening partner Phil Salt both in blistering form.

Speaking exclusively in the Star Sports Press Room, former England captain Collingwood spoke on the impact Bumrah has on the Indian cricket team. He said, "I think if you had a piece of paper and had to pick a cricket team, in any form of the game, Jasprit Bumrah would be the first name going on that list right at the top. It is as simple as that. He is the best cricketer in the world at this moment. The skill level, the pace, and the deception that he has in T20 cricket are incredible."

However, Collingwood said that England is playing an aggressive brand of cricket and if they manage to attack Jasprit, it will have a huge affect on the game. He also advised England not to take a conservative approach and focus on just seeing off Bumrah safely.

"You saw Travis Head get after Bumrah a couple of times, in the Australia match. And the impact it has if the opposition takes down your spearhead could dishearten the Indian cricket team. So that is an approach that England may take, but it is a risky one because we know how skillful and how many wickets Bumrah can take," he concluded.

In six matches, Bumrah has taken 11 wickets so far in the tournament at an average of 8.54 and an economy rate of just above 4. His best bowling figures are 3/7.

England is just two games away from making history and becoming the first men's team to retain a T20 World Cup, as per the ICC.

On the other hand, India has not won this tournament since its inception back in 2007, and is searching for its first World Cup win in any format since 2011's 50-over tournament. India's last ICC trophy was in 2013, when they captured the ICC Champions Trophy in England.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj.

England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood. (ANI)