India put in a fine team effort to defeat defending champions England by 68 runs in their T-20 World Cup semi-final at Providence Stadium, Guyana, yesterday.
England, chasing a target of 172, were bowled out for 103 in 16.4 overs. Indian spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav did most of the damage, each taking three wickets and putting England under constant pressure.
India will face South Africa in the final tomorrow (29) at Bridgestone. Axar Patel was named Man of the Match.
The game started late due to rain, with India batting first. Early on, they lost Virat Kohli for 9 and Rishabh Pant for 4 during the power play. Rain halted play again with India at 65 for 2 in 8 overs, with Rohit Sharma (37) and Suryakumar Yadav (13) at the crease.
After a 160-minute delay, skipper Rohit Sharma anchored the innings, scoring back-to-back fifties in 36 balls, finishing with 57 off 39 balls, including 6 fours and 2 sixes, before being bowled by Adil Rashid. Suryakumar Yadav contributed 47 off 36 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes, and together they added a 73-run partnership for the third wicket.
In the final stages, Hardik Pandya scored a quick 23 off 13 balls, helping India reach 171 for 7 in their 20 overs. Chris Jordan was the standout bowler for England, taking 3 for 37. Both teams played without any changes in this semi-final in Guyana.
Chief scores
India 171 for 7 wickets in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 57, Suryakumar Yadav 47, Hardik Pandya 23, Raveendra Jadeja 17*, Axar Patel 10, Reece Topley 1/25, Jofra Archer 1/33, Sam Curran 1/25, Adil Rashid 1/25, Chris Jordan 3/37
England 103 in 16.4 overs (Jos Buttler 23, Harry Brook 25, Liam Livingstone 11, Jofra Archer 21, Jasprit Bumrah 2/12, Axar Patel 3/23, Kuldeep Yadav 3/19. (D.R.)
