Morne Morkel concerned over dew on Wankhede pitch ahead of India vs England T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final

India bowling coach Morne Morkel believes that dew will be a big concern in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final against England in Mumbai on Thursday. India, who defeated West Indies in their last Super 8 match, are scheduled to face England in a T20 World Cup semi-final for the third consecutive time.

England had beaten India by 10 wickets in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final. Two years later, in Guyana, the Men in Blue got their revenge as they beat England by 68 runs. India went on to win the T20 World Cup title and will be looking to defend it.

With Mumbai witnessing excessive heat recently, the dew could settle down at Wankhede any time between 8.30 PM and 9 PM. This is usually the time when the team batting first either approaches the halfway mark of their innings, or maybe even their innings would have been completed.

"Guys can trust the bounce and play through the line, which can also, as a bowler, bring you into the game. I just feel the margins here are a lot smaller. The ball travels; it's quite a small ground," he added.

The former South Africa cricketer stressed that India somehow have to continue playing attacking cricket. India have struggled to score runs in the first half of the innings on spin-friendly pitches. In fact, during the group stage, India had a run-rate of 6.23 against off-spinners.

Abhishek Sharma, who endured three consecutive ducks, was dismissed to off-spinners against the Netherlands (Aryan Dutt) and Pakistan (Salman Ali Agha).

"So you just need to keep fighting through each over, staying in the moment and competing for every ball. Because, as I said, a batter's strength can also be his weakness on this surface. Sometimes it's better not to go too defensive but to keep attacking, as opportunities can arise," Morkel stated.

India began their campaign on a winning note against the USA, before going on to thump Namibia, Pakistan and the Netherlands in their remaining three group stage matches.

India, however, suffered a setback in their Super 8 opener against South Africa, losing by 76 runs. However, wins over Zimbabwe and West Indies ensured that the defending champions advanced to the last-four stage of the T20 World Cup.