India’s Resplendent Surge into T20 World Cup Final with Emphatic Victory Over England
Steered by the indomitable captain Rohit Sharma, who set the stage with a combative 57 off 39 deliveries.
India showcased an opulent display of prowess, catapulting themselves into the T20 World Cup final with a commanding 68-run triumph over England in the semi-final in Guyana on Thursday. The charge was spearheaded by their inspirational captain, Rohit Sharma, who laid a formidable foundation with an assertive 57 off 39 balls. The skipper received substantial support from Suryakumar Yadav (47 off 36), propelling India to post 171 for seven after being asked to bat first in the rain-impacted match.
In response, England’s innings crumbled for 103 in 16.4 overs, setting the stage for India’s title clash against first-time finalists South Africa in Barbados on Saturday. This marks India’s third foray into the final of this prestigious tournament.
Hardik Pandya contributed significantly with a quickfire 23 off 13 balls, including two sixes at a crucial juncture, bolstering India’s total.
On a sluggish, low-bounce pitch, left-arm spinner Axar Patel (3/23) tightened India’s grip with his superb bowling, while his compatriot Kuldeep Yadav (3/19) wreaked havoc in the middle overs.
This victory allowed India to avenge their crushing 10-wicket defeat by the defending champions in the 2022 semi-final at the Adelaide Oval.
In doing so, Rohit Sharma became the first Indian captain to lead the nation in three ICC global finals within a span of 12 months—2023 World Test Championship, 2023 ODI World Cup, and now the T20 World Cup.
Given India’s comprehensive bowling arsenal and the nature of the surface, Rohit’s squad was anticipated to defend the total effortlessly, which they accomplished with aplomb.
Rohit’s strategic use of Axar in the powerplay proved a masterstroke, with the left-arm spinner striking twice in rapid succession, leaving England unable to recover.
Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav executed his role to perfection on a pitch that favored spinners throughout the competition.
Jos Buttler (23 off 15), Harry Brook (25 off 19), and Jofra Archer (21 off 15) were the only England batsmen to reach double figures, underscoring India’s dominance. Both Buttler and Brook fell while attempting reverse sweeps against Axar and Kuldeep, respectively.
“We adapted to the conditions exceptionally well. It was challenging, but we rose to the occasion,” Rohit remarked post-match.
India, unbeaten in the tournament so far, will be banking on their star batsman Virat Kohli to find form in the crucial final. Kohli (9 off 9) fell early once again on Thursday, attempting to accelerate the scoring.
The eagerly anticipated fixture was marred by intermittent rain, delaying the start of play by an hour and 15 minutes. Another prolonged interruption occurred when India was at 65 for two in eight overs.
A total of 250 additional minutes were allotted to the match, with no reserve day available.
As Rohit and Kohli commenced their innings post England’s decision to field, it became apparent that the pitch was on the slower side, and low bounce added to the batsmen’s woes.
While Kohli perished early, Rohit acclimatized to the conditions, opting to play the ball late and behind the stumps. One notable instance was his guide over backward point off Archer in the second over, with the ball slipping through Phil Salt’s hands to the boundary. Setting a high standard for his teammates, Rohit then collected consecutive fours in Topley’s third over before taking on England’s premier spinner Adil Rashid, as India reached 46 for two in the powerplay.
Rishabh Pant (4) was the second wicket to fall, mistiming a flick to midwicket off Sam Curran.
A riveting duel ensued between Rohit and Rashid, where the Indian captain utilized both reverse and conventional sweeps to secure two boundaries from the leg-spinner’s first over.
Suryakumar was on 13, batting alongside Rohit when rain returned at Providence Stadium, pausing the game for over an hour.
Weather disruptions resumed two balls after Suryakumar had dispatched Jordan over fine leg for a six.
England deployed Rashid and Liam Livingstone’s leg-spin from both ends post the rain break but failed to stifle Rohit and Suryakumar.
Rashid’s full toss was promptly sent over short fine leg for four, the first of many boundaries India accumulated in the middle overs.
The 13th over from Curran yielded 19 runs for India, with Suryakumar smashing two sixes, while Rohit executed a pick-up shot for a maximum, marking his second successive fifty.
The entertaining 73-run partnership ended when Rohit was outfoxed by a Rashid googly, attempting a slog.
After Curran’s bumper 13th over, the subsequent overs were quiet for India until Hardik Pandya’s quickfire 23 off 13, including two flat sixes, propelled the innings forward.
Ravindra Jadeja (17 not out off 9), promoted ahead of Shivam Dube, struck two crucial boundaries off Archer in the penultimate over, while Dube’s stay lasted just one ball.
Axar’s six off Jordan in the final over took India past 170, as the team amassed 53 runs in the last five overs.
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