India showcased their immense talent with a dominant performance to reach the final of the T20 World Cup, defeating England by 68 runs in the semi-final on Thursday.
Captain Rohit Sharma led the way with a powerful 57 off 39 balls. He was supported by Suryakumar Yadav, who scored 47 off 36 balls. Together, they helped India post a total of 171 for seven after being asked to bat first in the rain-affected match. England was bowled out for 103 in 16.4 overs, setting up a final clash between India and South Africa in Barbados on Saturday. This is India’s third appearance in the tournament final.
Hardik Pandya added a quick 23 off 13 balls, including two sixes, at a crucial time. On a slow pitch with low bounce, left-arm spinner Axar Patel (3/23) and Kuldeep Yadav (3/19) bowled brilliantly, tightening India’s grip on the match.
India avenged their 10-wicket loss to England in the 2022 semi-final. Rohit Sharma also became the first Indian captain to lead the team in three ICC global finals within 12 months, including the 2023 World Test Championship and the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Rohit’s decision to use Axar in the powerplay paid off as the spinner took two quick wickets, putting England on the back foot. Kuldeep Yadav also bowled effectively on a pitch that favored spinners throughout the tournament.
Only Jos Buttler (23 off 15) and Harry Brook (25 off 19) managed to reach double figures for England, highlighting India’s dominance. Both batsmen were dismissed attempting reverse sweeps against Axar and Kuldeep.
India, unbeaten in the tournament, hopes star batter Virat Kohli finds form in the final. Kohli was out early on Thursday, scoring just 9 off 9 balls.
Rain delayed the start of play by one hour and 15 minutes and caused another long interruption when India was 65 for two in eight overs. Despite 250 additional minutes being allotted to the game, there was no reserve day.
Rohit adapted well to the tricky conditions, playing the ball late and behind the stumps. He set the tone with a guide over backward point off Archer and back-to-back fours off Topley. Rishabh Pant (4) was the second batter to fall, mistiming a flick to be caught at midwicket off Sam Curran.
Rohit and Suryakumar resumed their innings after a rain delay, with Suryakumar hitting a maximum off Jordan just before the interruption. England’s spinners Rashid and Livingstone could not contain Rohit and Suryakumar, who accumulated boundaries in the middle overs.
Rohit was dismissed by Rashid’s googly, ending an entertaining 73-run partnership. After a quiet period, Hardik Pandya hit two sixes to push India’s total forward. Ravindra Jadeja (17 not out off 9) hit two crucial fours off Archer in the penultimate over. Axar Patel’s six off Jordan in the final over took India past 170, with the team scoring 53 runs in the last five overs.
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