India marched into their fourth T20 World Cup final with a tense seven-run victory over England in the second semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. The defending champions, chasing history as the first team ever to retain the T20 World Cup title, will now face New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
It was India’s third consecutive semifinal against England in the tournament. England had won the 2022 edition by 10 wickets before India turned the tables with a commanding 68-run victory in 2024. Thursday’s contest was the closest of the three.
Samson Sets the Stage With a Record-Breaking Knock
After England opted to field, India came out with intent from the very first over. Abhishek Sharma struck a couple of early boundaries before falling for nine, but Sanju Samson took complete control and never let the momentum slip.
Samson was dropped by Harry Brook off Jofra Archer in the third over when he had scored just 15, and he made England pay dearly for the error. He raced to a 26-ball fifty as India surged to 67 for one at the end of the powerplay. Ishan Kishan joined him and the pair put on a rapid 97-run partnership for the second wicket. Kishan contributed a punishing 39 off just 18 balls before holing out to Adil Rashid.
Samson continued to dominate, finishing with 89 off 42 balls, an innings laced with eight fours and seven sixes. The knock equalled the highest score by an Indian batter in a T20 World Cup knockout match, matching Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 89 against the West Indies in the 2016 semifinal. He finally fell to Will Jacks in the 14th over with India well placed at 160 for three.
The middle order then delivered a stunning late assault. Shivam Dube smashed 43 off 25 balls, Hardik Pandya contributed 27 off 12 and Tilak Varma blazed 21 off just seven deliveries, helping India post 253 for seven, the highest score ever recorded by any team in a T20 World Cup knockout match.
Will Jacks was the most economical of the England bowlers, finishing with figures of two for 40.
Bethell’s Brilliant Century Keeps England in the Hunt
Chasing a daunting 254, England lost Phil Salt in the second over when Hardik Pandya struck with his very first delivery. Jasprit Bumrah then removed Harry Brook in the fifth over after Brook mistimed a slower ball, with Axar Patel completing a stunning running catch at point. Jos Buttler hit 25 before Varun Chakravarthy dismissed him, leaving England struggling at 64 for three inside the powerplay.
Tom Banton briefly threatened with a ferocious 17 off five balls before Axar Patel ended his cameo. But amid the chaos, Jacob Bethell stood tall and played one of the great T20 World Cup innings. The left-hander brought up his fifty off just 19 balls and kept attacking relentlessly. He found support in Will Jacks, and the two added 77 runs off just 39 balls for the fifth wicket before Jacks was dismissed for 35 in the 14th over, caught at the boundary by Axar Patel and Shivam Dube in a brilliant relay catch.
Bethell went on to score 105 off 48 balls, a century that kept England mathematically alive deep into the final overs. Going into the last five overs, England needed 69 with five wickets in hand and the game was still in the balance.
However, Bumrah’s two overs in that final stretch yielded just 14 runs, and Pandya and Dube successfully defended 39 runs across the last two overs to seal India’s victory. Bethell’s heroics ultimately went in vain as England finished on 246 for seven.
Bumrah was the standout bowler for India, returning figures of one for 33 from four overs, while Pandya claimed two for 38.
India One Win Away From Making History
India have now appeared in four T20 World Cup finals across ten editions of the tournament. They won the inaugural edition in 2007 and the 2024 title in the United States and West Indies, and finished as runners-up to Sri Lanka in 2014. A victory against New Zealand on Sunday would make them the first team in history to successfully defend the T20 World Cup.
