India prevail in a thrilling slugfest against England to qualify for T20 World Cup final
Wankhede played host to a historic rivalry last night as India beat England in a high-octane run-fest to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2026 final. It needed a lot perseverance, belief and more importantly a clinical close down after things were fairly in the balance with five overs to go. India’s magic man, Jasprit Bumrah, stepped up big time to settle the debate once and for all while Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya complemented him perfectly to wrest the bragging rights of the game.
England won the all-important toss in the semi-final and decided to bowl first. Sanju Samson started exactly from where he left. Abhishek Sharma (9) struck a couple of early boundaries but fell shortly as well, leaving India in a spot of bother. However, Samson combined with an incoming Ishan Kishan effaced all fears as the duo put together a solid stand of resistance.
Samson went all guns blazing against the bowlers while Ishan Kishan motored along in his own signature style, slashing and dashing through the English bowlers. The two added 97 runs for the second wicket from only 45 balls. Kishan blasted 39 off 18, hammering four fours and two sixes before Adil Rashid would finally get the better of him.
However, the Men in Blue had their priorities set. They had no intentions of relenting. They wanted to come out all guns blazing and Shivam Dube stepped up to the task. Samson and Dube added 43 runs for the third wicket from 22 balls before Will Jacks finally got the better of Samson. Sanju clobbered 89 runs off just 42 balls, whacking eight fours and seven sixes. He set the tone of the innings and a precedent for the others walking in.
Suryakumar Yadav didn’t want to move away from the plan but his belligerence cost him dearly, He fell for 11 off just six balls as India were stationed at 190/4 from 15.4 overs. After all the due diligence and some insane striking up front, what was important was India closing things with the same vim and vigour.
Hardik Pandya walked in and obliged. He went after the bowlers from the first ball itself and Dube found some serious momentum at the other end. Dube was unfortunate to be run out for 43 from 25 balls but the Men in Blue carried forward. Tilak Varma stepped up next and hammered at will, smashing 21 off just seven balls. Pandya was the last one to fall for 27 off just 12 balls, providing India the grandstand finish that they were looking forward to. The Men in Blue concluded with a total of 253/7.
England, well aware of the fact that they needed a headstart to remain alive in the hunt, went for it from the start. They had the batting depth and more importantly they had the hard-hitters needed to get the job done. However, much to their woes, India struck twice in quick succession to remove the dangerous Phil Salt (5) and Harry Brook (7). England had to adjust to the loss of two of their prime strikers while Jos Buttler steadied the ship at one end. Buttler (25) provided the support that Jacob Bethell needed to kickstart his show of fireworks.
Before Buttler could do much damage, Varun Chakravarthy got hold of the big man. With England wobbling at 64/3, India knew they were in command. However, an incoming Tom Banton had other plans. He resorted to whacking the cricket ball as hard as possible and got off to a fiery 17 from just four balls. Axar Patel stuck to his guns and continued with the same line while tweaking the length suddenly that proved to be the unravelling of Banton. As England licked their wounds at 95/4, not only was India in command but Axar Patel has grabbed a wonder catch on the fence that saw the back of an in-form Harry Brook.
However, India couldn’t sustain the pressure as Will Jacks (35) helped Bethell to carry forth with his assault. The Indian bowlers for a certain period looked clueless as there was double trouble plaguing their aspirations. Bethell and Jacks added 77 runs for the fifth wicket from just 39 balls. After much to and fro, it was Arshdeep Singh who rattled the stand. An attempted yorker ended up in being a low full toss and Axar Patel produced another sensational relay catch in the deep, combining well with Shivam Dube.
The fall of Jacks slowed things down slightly as Sam Curran who was the new batter needed some time to get used to the mad striking in the center. This was combined with two brilliant overs from Jasprit Bumrah that changed the game again. With 69 runs needed from the last five overs, anyone would have backed England to sail through in modern day cricket. But then Bumrah flipped the narrative with two sensational overs which went for only 14 runs. In fact, such was his magnificence, that in the face of the growing asking rate, England chose to play him out.
With Bumrah pumping the pressure at one end, it was Hardik Pandya who reaped the rewards. He managed to get hold of Sam Curran’s wicket, pushing England to the brink. With 30 runs needed for England to get in the final over, India went forth with Shivam Dube. The equation was simple. He had to get two balls right and the rest would take care of itself automatically.
Much to the elations of the Indian fans and the team, Jacob Bethell fell in the very first ball of the over. After conjuring a knock of a lifetime, smashing 105 off just 48 balls, Bethell was run out by Hardik Pandya. Dube’s yorker forced Bethell to push for a second and that proved to be the unravelling of the southpaw. Dube executed two perfect deliveries to seal the fate of the game. Despite being struck for three sixes in the last three balls, India had the game in their pocket by then and they eventually won by seven runs to qualify their place in the final. Sanju Samson won the Player of the Match award for his rollicking 89. India will be locking horns with a clinical New Zealand in the 2026 T20 World Cup final on Sunday.
