Mumbai: The T20 World Cup semifinal at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium has delivered a thrilling contest as India has narrowly defeated England by seven runs to advance to the final.
India has posted an imposing total of 7-253 after strong contributions from several batters. Sanju Samson has led the scoring with a commanding 89 runs, while Shivam Dube has added 43 and Ishan Kishan has contributed 39 to strengthen the total. The aggressive start has allowed India to build pressure on England’s bowling attack.
Samson has continued strong form in the T20 World Cup, following an unbeaten 97 against West Indies earlier in the tournament. The right-hander has taken advantage of an early chance when England captain Harry Brook dropped a catch in the third over with Samson on 15. The missed opportunity proved costly as Samson accelerated the innings.
A key partnership between Samson and Kishan added 97 runs as India reached 100 runs in just 8.3 overs. England attempted to slow the momentum by introducing off-spinner Will Jacks, who eventually dismissed Samson just 11 runs short of a century.
Chasing 254 for victory, England has faced early setbacks. Phil Salt was dismissed for 5 and captain Harry Brook followed for 7 during the powerplay overs. The early wickets placed significant pressure on England’s batting order.
Jos Buttler then attempted to stabilise the innings with a determined 25 runs before Varun Chakravarthy removed the England captain. Despite the early losses, England remained in the contest thanks largely to Jacob Bethell.
Bethell has produced one of the standout performances of the T20 World Cup with a powerful innings of 105 from just 48 balls. The young batter struck eight fours and seven sixes, keeping England’s hopes alive deep into the chase.
Will Jacks also added a valuable 35 runs to support the effort. However, England ultimately finished on 7-246, falling just seven runs short of India’s total.
Samson later said that, “It’s not easy. You find form in the crucial games for your country.” Samson added that, “I thought it’s a big game, so I need to make the most of how I’m batting.”
With the victory, India has progressed to the T20 World Cup final where the team will face New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
MOST READ | Power blackout disrupts electricity supply across Cuba
