T20 WC 2024: Team India Set Final Date With South Africa, Beat ENG By 68 Runs In Semis
IND vs ENG: Team India have booked a final berth in the T20 World Cup 2024 against first-time finalists South Africa after what was a spirited display against defending champions England in Guyana on June 27th.
Rohit Sharma and Co. defeated Jos Buttler's side by 68 runs on a day which was stretched because of multiple spells of rain as well.
THE BAPU SHOW AGAINST ENGLAND. 🇮🇳
3/23 in the Semis Finals - picked wickets of Buttler, Moeen and Bairstow. An all timer spell by Axar in the Knockouts, what a player. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/lDm0X09EE5
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 27, 2024
Rohit Sharma Guides Team IND To 171/7 vs ENG
Put to bat first, Rohit Sharma and co. started steadily on a challenging Guyana pitch which also experienced some rain on it. Opener Virat Kohli however, couldn’t shrug off his poor form in the tournament and had to depart at a run-a-ball 9 after hitting a brilliant six off Reece Topley in the same over.
Rohit Sharma however, tried to keep the run-rate up by hitting some good shots all over the ground. Rishabh Pant was also dismissed at just 4 runs after a poorly timed shot.
It was Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav who stitched up a 73-run partnership that took India to 113/3 at 13.4 overs. While Rohit Sharma led by example with a brilliant 57, SKY too joined the party with a fiery 36-ball 47 on the day but was dismissed by Jofra Archer.
It was spinner Adil Rashid who took the all-important of the lethal opener for England and saved a lot of potential runs for them.
In came Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja to salvage the scene and take the Men in Blue to a challenging total in the end. It was Rohit Sharma who top-scored for India as India posted 171/7 in their 20 overs on a slow track.
IND Spinners Decimate ENG Batting Order To Pieces
Chasing a challenging 172, all eyes were on England's openers Jos Buttler and Phil Salt who were known for giving their side a good start in the powerplay. However, the Indian bowlers managed to restrict the Three Lions with their skill and some help from the slow surface.
While Buttler had to depart for a 15-ball 23 courtesy of Axar Patel, his opening partner Salt was also dismissed cheaply on 5 runs by a brilliant Jasprit Bumrah delivery.
India and Axar Patel also went on to get Bairstow for a duck within the powerplay which left England struggling at 35/3.
Harry Brook's 25 didn't help in reviving the innings as a bowling masterclass saw the Three Lions batting order get decimated and restricted to just 103 in their 20 overs.
Spinners spun all sorts of webs around the English batters as both Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel took 3 scalps each to complete Team India's revenge of the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final and also book a final date with The Proteas on June 29th to try and break their ICC trophy drought after 11 years.
Also Read: IND vs ENG: Team India Set 172-Run Target For England In Semi-Final Tie
