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India is on the brink of making history after a commanding performance against the defending T20 World Cup champions, England. Rohit Sharma and his team secured a spot in the title clash with South Africa, thanks to stellar efforts from spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, who each took three wickets, propelling India to a 68-run victory in the second semifinal at the Providence Stadium.
Kohli and Rohit’s Priceless Reaction
Captain Rohit Sharma led from the front, scoring his 32nd T20I fifty with a 39-ball 57. Alongside Suryakumar Yadav’s 47 off 36 balls, their contributions helped India post a competitive total of 171/7 on a challenging pitch. In response, England struggled against the brilliant spells from Axar and Kuldeep, ultimately being bowled out for 103. Rohit Sharma became emotional after the win.
Chasing 172, England’s Jos Buttler provided a strong start, hitting four boundaries, including three off Arshdeep, with 26 runs coming in the first three overs. However, Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah quickly turned the tide in India’s favor. Axar dismissed Buttler with a top-edged reverse sweep to keeper Rishabh Pant, while Bumrah’s off-cutter rattled Phil Salt’s leg-stump. Axar continued his dominance, dismissing Jonny Bairstow for a duck with a low delivery that hit the off-stump, leaving England at 39/3 by the end of the power play.
England’s woes deepened as Moeen Ali was stumped by Pant after a ball from Axar lobbed off his thigh pad. Kuldeep Yadav then pushed England further back by trapping Sam Curran lbw, shattering Harry Brook’s leg-stump with a reverse sweep, and spinning one back to trap Chris Jordan lbw.
India’s decisive runouts of Liam Livingstone and Adil Rashid, followed by Bumrah’s lbw dismissal of Jofra Archer, sparked jubilation in Guyana in 2024. This victory buried memories of Adelaide 2022. India’s path to the trophy looks promising as they gear up for a historic final against South Africa, keeping their championship hopes alive.
