Mumbai, March 5: India clinched a thrilling seven-run victory over England in the second semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, setting up a final date with New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The "Blue" team is now just one step away from becoming the first team to defend their T20 World Cup title and win it twice.
Batting first, India posted 253/7 against England, thanks to Sanju Samson's explosive 89 off 42 balls. Samson continued his excellent form in the tournament, scoring 89 off 42 balls, with eight fours and seven sixes. The right-handed batsman dominated the English bowlers from the start and anchored India's innings with aggressive strokeplay.
After Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for nine, Samson partnered Ishan Kishan in a crucial 97-run second-wicket stand, with Kishan scoring 39 off 18 balls. Samson then added another 43 runs for the third wicket with Shivam Dube, who contributed 43 off 25 balls.
Samson reached his half-century in just 26 balls, his second successive fifty in the tournament, before being dismissed while attempting a big shot, caught by Phil Salt off Will Jacks.
Late cameos from Hardik Pandya (27 off 12 balls) and Tilak Varma (21 off 7 balls) helped India cross the 250-mark. For England, Will Jacks and Adil Rashid each took two wickets, but they struggled to contain India's aggressive batting.
In response, England faced early setbacks as Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakaravarthy each took one wicket in the powerplay, but the English team remained unfazed and reached 68/3 by the end of the sixth over.
Although the 2022 champions' top order faltered, middle-order batter Jacob Bethell kept his side in contention with a brilliant century, the third fastest for England. He shared crucial partnerships with Jos Buttler and Tom Banton before adding a game-changing 77-run stand with Will Jacks and a 50-run stand with Sam Curran, keeping the momentum closely balanced.
However, Pandya dismissing Curran in the penultimate over put pressure on England. Although Bethell continued to perform, crucial bowling from Bumrah and Pandya in the final overs meant that England needed just 30 off the last over. With Dube tasked with bowling the last over, a brilliant fielding display led to Bethell's dismissal off the first ball, ending England's hopes as India restricted the Brook-led side to 246/7 in 20 overs.
The Harry Brook-led side fell short by eight runs as India advanced to the final for the second consecutive time.
