MUMBAI — In a match that will be remembered as one of the greatest T20 World Cup knockouts, India edged past England by a mere seven runs in a breathtaking semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday night.
With this hard-fought victory, the defending champions have booked their ticket to Ahmedabad, where they will face New Zealand in Sunday’s summit clash.
A Batting Masterclass from the Men in Blue
Asked to bat first on a typically flat Wankhede surface, India put on a staggering display of power-hitting to post a mammoth 253 for 7 in their 20 overs.
Sanju Samson’s Masterclass: The wicketkeeper-batter was the absolute star of the show, punishing the English bowlers with a blistering 89 off just 42 balls, which included eight boundaries and seven massive sixes.
Crucial Partnerships: Samson stitched together a blazing 97-run stand with Ishan Kishan (39 off 18 balls) after the early loss of Abhishek Sharma.
Late Fireworks: Shivam Dube (43 off 25 balls) and Hardik Pandya (27 off 12 balls) ensured the momentum never dipped, propelling India past the 250-run mark. Jofra Archer and Will Jacks faced the brunt of the assault as the hosts cleared the ropes 19 times.
Bethell’s Heroics in a Valiant Chase
Chasing a record 254, England refused to go down without a fight, driven by a spectacular, fighting century from Jacob Bethell.
Despite losing early wickets, including captain Harry Brook and Jos Buttler (who fell to a brilliant googly from Varun Chakaravarthy), Bethell kept the visitors in the hunt.
Bethell’s breathtaking knock of 105 turned the chase into an absolute nail-biter, stunning the vocal Mumbai crowd into a nervous silence.
However, India’s bowlers held their nerve in the death overs. Hardik Pandya’s brilliant variations and a dramatic, game-changing run-out of Bethell in the final stages completely derailed England’s momentum. Ultimately, England finished their 20 overs at 246 for 7, falling agonizingly short by just 7 runs.
The Men in Blue now look forward to defending their crown against the Kiwis on March 8.
