'Not afraid of Buttler' - Former India opener ignores threat posed by out-of-form England star

Former opener Virender Sehwag has brushed away the threat posed by an out-of-form Jos Buttler ahead of India’s T20 World Cup semi-final against England on Thursday, March 5, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Buttler, who is yet to record a score in the double digits in each of his last five innings, has scored a mere 62 runs in the entire tournament so far at a miserly average of 8.86. 

Despite his lack of form, the former England captain possesses immense quality and threat having previously knocked India out of the 2022 T20 World Cup at the semi-final stage. The right-hander, along with Alex Hales, chased down 169 in 16 overs with all 10 wickets to spare. 

Sehwag, however, did not buy into the fact and suggested the England wicketkeeper will be struggling for confidence, which could prevent him from scoring big.

"Even if he scores, it is not as if he will score a 35-ball 100. When a batter is not in form, he tends to take 10-15 balls, and then look to hit big, and then he can also get out while doing that. So, I am not afraid of Buttler. There are a couple other players that I am afraid of, because if they fire, things might be difficult for us," Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

England possess threats to India 

Despite their star batter lacking form, Sehwag namedropped Phil Salt, Harry Brook, and Will Jacks as the players that could worry India in their knockout game. 

After promoting himself up to number three, Brook has been lethal having already scored a century in the tournament against Pakistan, Jacks, on the other hand, has contributed 191 runs and seven wickets to claim four Player of the Match awards in seven outings. 

“One such player is Harry Brook, he scored a hundred. Then there is Phil Salt, he knows the conditions after playing in the IPL. Will Jacks has also won 4 man of the match awards, so I am afraid of them. The rest, not so much. Because even if they come back into form, it is not like they will defeat you single-handedly in one-sided fashion," he added.

The winner of this second semi-final will join a rejuvenated New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.