NEW DELHI: India sealed a thrilling seven-run win over England in the T20 World Cup semi-final on Thursday at Wankhede Stadium to book a place in the final against New Zealand. It was a high-scoring contest with 499 runs and 34 sixes in total, as both teams entertained the packed crowd with aggressive batting.India first posted a massive 253/7, the fourth-highest total in T20 World Cup history. Sanju Samson led the charge with a brilliant 89 off 42 balls after being dropped early in his innings.
England fought back strongly in the chase, mainly through Jacob Bethell, who smashed a career-best 105 off 48 balls and kept his team in the contest until the final over.However, India managed to hold their nerve at crucial moments. Jasprit Bumrah delivered a controlled spell of 1/33 in four overs, while Axar Patel impressed in the field with two stunning catches and another key contribution. England eventually finished on 246/7, falling just short of the huge target.After the match, Samson, awarded the Player of the Match for his knock, praised the team effort but especially credited Bumrah for making the difference with the ball in the death overs.“As I told before, I think you need to assess the conditions. We have played a lot of cricket here in Wankhede, as I said before, chasing becomes a bit easier here. They won the toss, put us into bat, so we knew after the way we batted, the way myself and Ishaan batted, the partnership which we had for after Abhishek got out, I thought that I think 250 should be, I think, possible here,” Samson said in the post-match presentation.Adding that the Player of the Match award should be given to Bumrah, Samson further noted, “So yeah, very happy how the team turned up today, and all credit goes to Jasprit Bumrah. I think the world-class bowler, once in a generation bowler, I think that’s what he delivered today. I think this should go to him, actually.“If we didn’t bowl that way in the death overs, I think I would not be standing here. All credit goes to the bowlers, how they backed themselves in the tough conditions.”
