Team India registered a thumping 68-run victory over England in the second semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Guyana on Thursday (June 27) and secured their spot in the final.
Invited to bat first, the Men in Blue posted 171/7 in their allotted 20 overs on a slow pitch. Skipper Rohit Sharma was the top scorer with 57 off 39 balls while Suryakumar Yadav (47 off 36), Hardik Pandya (23 off 13) and Ravindra Jadeja (17* off 9) made crucial contributions.
In reply, England’s innings folded for a paltry 103 in 16.4 overs. It was a listless batting display from the defending champions as no one managed to touch the 30-run mark. Harry Brook top scored with 25 off 19 balls.
The duo of Akshar Patel (3-23) and Kuldeep Yadav (3-19) spun a web around the English batters, claiming three wickets each to script India’s emphatic win. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah also returned with a couple of scalps in his 2.4 overs.
Speaking after the match, Indian captain Rohit Sharma termed this victory as very satisfying and gave full credit to the teammates.
"Very satisfying to win. Worked very hard as a unit and it was a great effort from all. We adapted really well, conditions were challenging. That's been the success story for us so far. If bowlers and batters adapt, things fall in place. At one stage, 140-150 looked par. But we got runs in the middle, SKY and I were going and thought we can get 20-25 more. I didn't want to give that away, wanted to let the batters play on instinct. 175 was a very good score, bowlers were fantastic. Akshar, Kuldeep are gun spinners. Tough to play shots against them in these conditions. They were calm under pressure," Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
India’s star batter Virat Kohli is having a terrible time in the ongoing T20 World Cup. After a string of low scores in the group stage and Super 8 round, he endured another failure in the semi-final against England.
Kohli took five balls to open his account and was dismissed by left-arm pacer Reece Topley for 9 off 9 balls. Before the semi-final, his scores in the tournament read - 1, 4, 0, 24, 37, and 0.
However, Rohit Sharma defended Virat Kohli and backed him to do well in the title clash against South Africa in Barbados on June 29.
“We understand his class. Form is never a problem when you've played for 15 years. Probably saving for the final. We've been calm as a team. Final is a big occasion but being composed helps make good decisions,” he remarked.
When asked if can end their long-standing ICC trophy drought this time around, Rohit replied: “I thought today we were steady and didn't panic. That's been key. We'll try our best, team is in good shape. All I can hope is to put up a good show come the finals."
