India, March 5 -- India vs England in a World Cup semi-final rarely feels like a routine knockout. These games usually arrive with history, pressure, and a brutal clarity: whichever side has built the most repeatable cricket across the tournament tends to survive.

This semi-final at Wankhede fits that pattern. On reputation, the contest looks tight. On current tournament numbers, venue behaviour and role clarity, India enter as slight but meaningful favourites. England still have enough firepower to flip the game in a single phase, but India's profile has been stronger across more batting slots and more stable in match control.

The biggest statistical advantage for India is not having a single player carry the line-up, but the spread of...