Cricket Highlights, IND vs ENG T20 World Cup Match: India defeated England by 68 runs to secure a spot in the T20 World Cup final on Thursday. Skipper Rohit Sharma led the charge, supported by the powerful performances of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
Rohit Sharma made history as the first Indian captain to lead the country to three ICC global finals within 12 months, including the 2023 World Test Championship, the 2023 ODI World Cup, and now the T20 World Cup.
The Indian skipper, often criticized for underperforming in crucial matches, scored a vital 57 off 39 balls on a challenging pitch where the ball kept low. India’s final score was 171 for 7 in 20 overs.
Suryakumar Yadav also played a crucial role, scoring 47 off 36 balls, while Hardik Pandya added two impressive sixes in his 23-run innings from 13 balls. Ravindra Jadeja (17) and Axar Patel (10) made useful contributions as well.
In their reply, England lost five wickets by the halfway stage and never recovered, getting all out for 103 in 16.4 overs. Axar Patel took 3 wickets for 23 runs in 4 overs, and Kuldeep Yadav took 3 wickets for 19 runs in 4 overs. Jasprit Bumrah also contributed significantly, taking 2 wickets for 12 runs in 2.4 overs, including a classic slow off-cutter that dismissed the dangerous Phil Salt.
India, the 2007 champions, will face South Africa in the final in Barbados on Saturday.
Back in 2022, India lost by 10 wickets in the semi-final at Adelaide after England restricted them to a similar total. However, the conditions at Providence Stadium made batting particularly difficult this time.
Master tactician Rohit Sharma anticipated the pitch conditions and knew that facing Kuldeep and Axar would be tough. On this tricky track, Axar bowled wicket-to-wicket, forcing Jos Buttler to attempt a risky reverse sweep and deceiving Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali with his pace. Kuldeep Yadav varied his pace, using deceptive loops and sharply turning deliveries to trouble the batters. The team’s fielding was also outstanding.
