New Delhi: The Indian cricket team stormed into their third T20 World Cup final, crushing England by 68 runs in the semi-final clash held at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday. The Rohit Sharma-led side outclassed the Englishmen in each department and scripted a brilliant revenge plot after England knocked India out of the 2022 T20 World Cup. India will now meet South Africa in the all-important final clash scheduled in Barbados on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma struck a second consecutive half-century on the back of which India posted a daunting total of 171/7 in 20 overs. Surykakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya made significant contributions in the Indian total. The Indian skipper has regained his form from the previous Super 8 clash against Australia where he scored a flamboyant 91 runs to pull Australia closer to a knockout.
Talking about Rohit’s stint as Team India captain, he has now led India to three ICC finals and has achieved a unique feat with it. The 37-year-old has registered a fresh record of becoming the first Indian captain to lead the country in three ICC global finals in a space of 12 months — 2023 World Test Championship, the 2023 ODI World Cup, and now the T20 World Cup. He has thus scripted history to have done it for the very first time in the history of the Indian captains.
Spinners decimate English batting line-up
As India posted a target of 172 runs for England, what could have been a well-to-go run-chase was made utterly difficult by the Indian spinners. England were off to a flier with opener and skipper Jos Buttler taking the charge but their attempts were soon thwarted by Axar Patel who struck thrice off the first delivery of his first three overs, putting India in the driver’s seat.
He was helped by Kuldeep Yadav who spun webs on the pitch and entangled the middle-order of England, picking three wickets as well. Jasprit Bumrah didn’t keep away from the game as he played his part by taking two wickets and helped India decimate England at a below-par 103 in 16.4 overs. The match was continuously interrupted by rain but the day factor in the Caribbean led the match officials to conduct a full 20-over per side clash.
Rohit Sharma etched his name in the Team India captaincy history by achieving a unique record after the semi-final win over England at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Friday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
