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Adelaide 2022, Georgetown 2024 and Mumbai 2026 – a third consecutive semi-final between India and England with New Zealand beckoning the winner to Sunday’s final at Ahmedabad. India are the holders and they’re determined to become the first team to win a home T20 WC as well as defend their title. Pitted against the favourites are two-time champions England, who started slowly but have since gathered steam and notched up five wins in a row. The pitch carries a tinge of grass, but experts anticipate a high-scoring contest.
Phew, that got a lot closer than you would’ve thought after India smashed 253 in the first innings. The defending champions are through to the final where they will face New Zealand in Ahmedabad. Archer hit three menacing sixes to close off the England innings but those economical Bumrah overs towards the fag end spared them the blushes.
Hundred for Jacob Bethell off just 45 balls. Slower length ball angled away outside off, off-cutter, he goes full monty and slices it wide of long-off. Irrespective of the outcome, this has been an exemplary masterclass from the youngster.
Just as I smash the keyboard, Tilak is stationed right on the edge of the midwicket boundary as he hangs on to remove Curran. No longer the case of India fearing two lefties at the crease and the Axar option is unlocked. Might go with the safer alternative of Dube.
Arshdeep frittered away 16 in his final over but Bumrah has kept the squeeze on. His six balls were golddust at this point, and the experienced campaigner has delivered the goods. Only half-a-dozen runs given at a pivotal juncture.
India have used just the five bowlers so far. Axar has one more over to go. Will they choose him or will they bring Dube at some point? For now it’s Arshdeep so they want to leave that decision for later. No-brainer with two left-handers in the middle. Varun has had a torrid outing regardless of the wicket of Buttler. 64 for 1, a night to forget.
Another stunning effort from Axar. He has plucked it on the run from deep cover, lost balance without losing spatial awareness of where the cushions are, tossed it towards an approaching Dube and sent Jacks packing in spectacular fashion. Surya wraps Axar in his arms in celebration. Wide full toss outside off, Jacks slices it off the toe. India have two fielders at the boundary there, and they’re both involved in a tag-team scorcher. Dube had the easy part, collecting the flick-back from an alert Axar.
India were 160/2 at this stage, England are160/4. What a finish we have in prospect. Crackerjack of a contest this is turning out to be. Bethell and Banton are going great guns, but India have some crucial overs from spearhead Bumrah in the kitty.
The boundaries keep flowing from the bat of Bethell. Short of length on off, pace off, he waits on the pull long enough before timing it nicely through square leg. Fielder was in the ring there. Frustration showing on Bumrah who throws his head back and looks heavenwards. A bit poetic as Wankhede is rocking to the tune of AR Rahman’s Maa Tujhe Salaam.
Run out chance missed! Bethell cuts straight to Hardik at point, he’s on the back foot and slow to take off but Jacks is already committed to the run. A bullet throw comes in at the bowler’s end and misses. Bethell was nowhere in the frame. He is on the verge of a half-century so a big moment in the game.
Two sixes hit but Axar is cool as a cucumber. Slows it up and gets the reward immediately. So well bowled by the left-armer who is understandably pumped. Banton misses the slog-sweep, the ball sneaks through and crashes into leg. Maybe it was a bit too full to be playing that shot anyway, or probably the lift that Axar naturally gets deceived him in the air. On the other end though, Bethell is playing a gem and he hasn’t allowed the required rate to grow.
Wickets are tumbling but Bethell is fighting fire with fire. The prodigy has gone after Hardik to move to 39 off 14 balls. 15 off the over and India can not breathe easy just yet because England have a lot of firepower still left in their ranks.
What an eventful over this from Varun, India’s trump card. He was under extreme duress with Bethell clearing the rope thrice but the mystery spinner holds his composure and gets rid of Buttler to pull the contest back in India’s favour. He was looking to maximise the last over before PowerPlay ends, although an aggessive shot wasn’t really needed with a rich harvest off the over already secured. Varun is similing, so are the Indians in the field, at the stands and those watching it across platforms.
Banged in short by Pandya – Brook backs away, rides the bounce and then swivels onto the pull over mid-wicket, one bounce and over the ropes. England getting a move on after an early setback as Buttler also joins the party with a maximum over mid-off.
However, as I type, Axar comes up with an absolute beauty to get rid of Brook. Superb cricket from India – was the slower ball from Bumrah, rolled his fingers across the seam and outfoxed Brook for all money. It’s a skier, Axar runs back, keeps his eyes on the prize and then dives forward as it seemed to have gone away from his grasp. Wonder grab!
Poor shot selection from Salt. The ball was shaping away late but he committed to the initial line, fancying a flick from the off-stump as the top-edge is comfortably pouched by Axar at cover point. Excellent start for India!
India have submerged England under an avalanche of runs. Hardik and Tilak engaged their respective beast modes towards the end and the men in red had no answers to their no-holds-barred onslaught. This is a concrete total, and will take some chasing. Contributions all around from the Indian line-up and they have one foot in the final, save for a miraculous chase from Brook’s brigade.
Bowlers conceding 50-plus in a T20 WC knockout game
1/61 – Jofra Archer vs IND, Mumbai WS, 2026 SF
0/60 – Mitchell Starc vs NZ, Dubai, 2021 Final
0/54 – Lasith Malinga vs WI, Colombo RPS, 2012 Final
0/53 – Marco Jansen vs NZ, Kolkata, 2026 SF (2.5 overs)
A mix-up and Dube has been run-out. He turns back aghast, Hardik knew he was in the wrong and immediately apologized. Dube was almost halfway down the pitch when sent back, just one stump to aim and Brook nails the direct hit at the bowler’s end. An untoward record to his name as he becomes the second batter to be run-out thrice in a T20 WC edition, after MS Dhoni in 2007.
Hardik is latching onto width. Back-to-back boundaries for the talisman. 15 off the Overton over as India race past 200. England have a mountain to climb in the knockout clash already, and the alarming bit is that there are still three overs left in the tank.
Highest scores in T20 WC knockouts
100* – Finn Allen vs SA, Kolkata, 2026 SF
96* – Tillakaratne Dilshan vs WI, The Oval, 2009 SF
89* – Virat Kohli vs WI, Mumbai WS, 2016 SF
89 – Sanju Samson vs ENG, Mumbai WS, 2026
86* – Alex Hales vs IND, Adelaide, 2022 SF
Meanwhile, Dube is turning the heat on with his brute force and middling ability. He moves to 28 off 19 deliveries and has captain Suryakumar in tow after Samson departed to a tame chip off Jacks. Still, 12 rpo from here gets India to 237.
India are plundering the sixes after the wicket of Kishan, with Samson and Dubey really taking the game by the scruff of the neck. Archer and Rashid bear the brunt of India’s attack as England feel the pinch with runs coming thick and fast in a high-stakes encounter.
8.3 overs taken by India to get to 100, the second-fastest for a team in a T20 WC knockout, after 7.5 overs for New Zealand against South Africa yesterday.
Samson loves the inside out loft over cover and Dawson feeds it there to the man of the moment. He needs no second invitations. Clean hit into the first tier. Second half-century on the trot and this is now the highest partnership for India in a T20 WC knockout, surpassing 84 in 6.3 overs between Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa against Australia in the 2007 semis in Durban.
Samson and Kishan bring up their fifty partnership off 27 balls. England are in trouble here because as Rashid has been welcomed into the attack with a hammering cover drive. Spin from both ends now as Dawson prepares to rolls his arm over.
Dew hasn’t been a big factor at Wankhede so far, which means there is little indication that chasing side will benefit in any signifcant way. Suryakumar wanted to bat first, mind you.
Samson has picked up from where he left in the virtual quarter-final against West Indies. Waits on the back foot to cut Curran between backward point and short third man. Exquisite placement. India are off to a flier in the PowerPlay. England have been sloppy and need to pull up their socks or else Samson might run away with the game.
India have a right-left combination in the middle and Kishan is making merry out there at the Wankhede. He’s dealing in boundaries at the moment, a couple off Overton and one off Jacks as well.
Brook drops Samson and he makes England pay with a colossal six over mid-wicket. His bat turns as he looks to play an aerial drive. Straight to mid-on and the England captain puts down a regulation chance. This moment might cost them a fortune as Samson yields 14 off the over.
Abhishek managed to hit a couple of fours but Jacks has got rid of the under-fire southpaw. England’s player of the tournament so far strikes early.
Slower through the air, drifting inwards, Abhishek jogs down the track and backs away to play the aerial flick. It comes off the cue end of the bat. Salt comes in from deep midwicket and snaffles it comfortably.
Underway with a boundary garnered via a tennis forehand of a shot over mid-on, Samson uses Archer’s pace and angle to his advantage to fetch six over fine leg. Spin from the other end. Abhishek Sharma has fallen to off-spin on a couple of occasions in this World Cup.
