Mumbai, March 5 Captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted that his heart rate rose to "160-175" during the tense closing stages of the semi-final as India edged past England to enter their second successive T20 World Cup final here on Thursday.
Defending champions India defeated England by seven runs in a high-scoring semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium.
“It's an unbelievable feeling. Obviously, playing in India, leading such a wonderful side, and with the World Cup happening here, going to Ahmedabad to play that final. I think it's a special feeling for all the boys,” Suryakumar said during the post-match presentation.
“I was very nervous, my heart rate must have been 160-175," he added.
Sent in to bat, opener Samson blasted seven sixes and eight fours on his way to a 42-ball 89 as India posted a challenging 253.
Shivam Dube (43), Ishan Kishan (39), Hardik Pandya (27) and Tilak Varma (21) also contributed with brisk knocks.
“I think he knew what he wanted to do as soon as he went in to bat. Even when a wicket fell, he knew the pitch was good, so he kept pressing on.
"The way he batted was exactly what the team required. It was well-deserved after all the hard work he’s been putting in over the last year. It was a special knock today.”
But was 253 enough?
“I told Harry (Brook) how much more we needed to score against them. They were always in the chase, but the way the bowlers pulled the game away was unbelievable,” he said.
Chasing the massive target, Jacob Bethell’s sensational 105 off 48 balls went in vain as England managed 246 for seven in 20 overs, with Bumrah (1/33) emerging as the most effective bowler, bowling beautifully at the death. Pandya (2/38) picked up two wickets.
"We all know what Bumrah is capable of and what he’s done for India over the years. He did the same thing again today, raised his hand and showed character to pull the game away from them. It was a special bowling performance. The way Bumrah, Arshdeep and other guys pulled it back was unbelievable,” Suryakumar said.
“We need to give credit to T Dilip, our fielding coach. The boys are responding well. They have been going the extra mile, that's showing up.”
India will face New Zealand in the summit clash on Sunday.
“There will definitely be pressure and nerves, especially playing in India and going for the title. But the boys and the whole support staff are excited as well,” the India skipper said.
England captain Harry Brook said they expected the ball to spin a bit in the first innings but admitted his team erred in execution.
“We thought there might've been some turn, the ball slid nicely onto the bat, and India batted well. I'll hold my hands up and admit I made a big mistake by dropping Samson,” he said.
“We weren't good enough in the field. We mis-executed, and we can't afford to do that against India.”
Brook lauded Bethell for his hundred.
“Bethell was absolutely unbelievable, he'll earn some serious money. To see him taking it from ball one, showed the world what he can do.
“We had a good tournament, we should be extremely proud of how we played. We stuck to it the whole game, unfortunately we were on the wrong side," he added.
