Suryakumar Yadav-ledIndiapunched their ticket to the final of the 2026 T20 World Cup with a seven-run win over England in the second semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday (March 5). The defending champions will face New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (March 8). Shivam Dube, who was entrusted with the job to defend 30 runs in the final over, kept his calm. He only spent three runs off his first 3 balls to push England out of the game early.
Jasprit Bumrah, who only spent 33 runs in his four-over spell, proved to be the game-changer for India. The leader of India's pace attack punctured England's scoring rate by spending 8 runs in the 16th over. The England batters only managed to score six runs in the 18th over that he bowled.
Jacob Bethellplayed a record-breaking knock of 105 off 48 balls for England and kept them in the game till the final over. But he lacked support from the other end, which ultimately resulted in the Three Lions failing to complete the chase.
Bethell slammed 105 off just 48 balls. Batting with a strike rate of 218.75, Bethell hit 7 sixes and 8 fours in his knock. None of the other England batters could even breach the 50-run mark.
India will face New Zealand in the final of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Photo: AP
Asked to bat first, India put on a big total of 253 on the board. Abhishek Sharma once again departed early and only managed to score 9 off 7 balls.Sanju Samsontook the onus and kept the scoring rate high. The wicketkeeper-batsman slammed a crucial 89 off 42 balls. He batted with a strike rate of 211.90 and hit 7 sixes in his knock. The pair of Samson and Ishan Kishan took India past the 100-run mark. Kishan slammed 39 off just 18 balls. He batted with a strike rate of 216.67. Samson and Kishan added 97 runs for the second wicket.
With Adil Rashid operating from one end, the team management changed the batting order and sent Shivam Dube ahead ofSuryakumar Yadav. The left-hander took on England's attack and scored quickly.
He added 43 runs for the third wicket with Samson, who missed out on scoring a well-deserved century. Dube was run out for 43 off 25 balls. Suryakumar failed to make any impact and departed for 11 off 6 balls.
Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma gave the perfect finishing touch to India's total. Pandya hit 27 off just 12 balls. Tilak blasted 21 off just 7 balls. His late surge took India close to 250.
England made a forgettable start to the chase and lost the crucial wickets of Phil Salt (5) andHarry Brook(7) in the first five overs. Jos Buttler was dismissed for 25 off 17 balls in the final over of the powerplay. India seemed to be on top after Tom Banton's dismissal. He hit 17 off 5 balls during his brief stay in the middle. Despite Bethell's heroics, England fell short by 7 runs in the end.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
