Mumbai:India defeated England by seven runs in a thrilling second semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, booking a place in the final against New Zealand. The title clash will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Batting first, India posted a massive 253 for 7, powered by a blistering knock from Sanju Samson, who scored 89 off 42 balls with eight fours and seven sixes. After Abhishek Sharma departed early for nine, Samson stitched a crucial 97-run partnership with Ishan Kishan, who made 39 off 18 balls. Samson later added another 43 runs with Shivam Dube, who contributed 43 off 25 deliveries.
Quick late cameos from Hardik Pandya (27 off 12) and Tilak Varma (21 off 7) helped India cross the 250-run mark. For England, Will Jacks and Adil Rashid claimed two wickets each.
Chasing the huge target, England lost early wickets as Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy struck in the powerplay. However, Jacob Bethell kept England in the contest with a brilliant century, building important partnerships with Jos Buttler, Tom Banton and Sam Curran.
The match swung back in India’s favour when Pandya dismissed Curran in the penultimate over. With England needing 30 runs in the final over, Dube removed Bethell off the first ball, effectively ending England’s hopes. Led by Harry Brook, England eventually finished at 246 for 7 in 20 overs.
With the win, India entered the T20 World Cup final for the second consecutive time and are now one step away from successfully defending their title.
