Former skipper Michael Vaughan has backed England to beat India in second semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled for Thursday (March 5) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

According to Vaughan, the Harry Brook-led side hold an edge over the defending champions in departments like fielding and running between the wickets. He went on to claim that the Three Lions boast the best spin attack of the tournament.

India have the world’s top-ranked spinner Varun Chakaravarthy in their ranks, who has picked up 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.66 in the competition so far. However, Vaughan believes Chakaravarthy has been found out in a way that has led to success for opponents.

“England have a better spin attack than India. (Varun) Chakaravarthy has been got at. Dawson, (Adil) Rashid, and Will Jacks have been the best trio in the tournament in terms of spin. England’s fielding has been absolutely exceptional. They look really alert. England’s running between the wickets has been exceptional. The small percentage things you can control yourself, England seem to be doing very well. I just have a funny feeling England can get the job done in Mumbai," Vaughan told the BBC.

“They seem to have found a way of winning. The win against New Zealand, even though a dead rubber, to get over the line was a great effort," he added.

This will be the third consecutive semifinal clash between two teams at the T20 World Cup. While England defeated India by 10 wickets at the Adelaide Oval in the 2022 edition, the Men in Blue emerged victorious by 78 runs two years later in Guyana.

England have endured their fair share of ups and downs in the ongoing T20 World Cup, including a nervy four-run win over minnows Nepal and defeat against the West Indies in group stage. India too looked shaky in some of the Group A matches, before losing to South Africa in the Super 8s.

The winners of the second semifinal will face New Zealand in the title clash, scheduled for Sunday (March 8) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.