Revenge is always sweet and that’s what Team India managed to do in the T20 World Cup 2024 Semi-Final against England. It was a replay of the 2022 World Cup semi-final between the two teams in Adelaide, Australia, where the Three Lions emerged victorious by 10 wickets. However, it wasn’t meant to be this time for the English team. The men in blue proved to be so tough to beat in Guyana, in the Caribbean.
This was the second semi-final that concluded with India’s win. Last night saw South Africa book its place in the final with a one-sided win over Afghanistan in Semi-Final 1. Moreover, it’s the first time that Proteas has managed to reach the finals of any ICC event. The matchup for June 29 calls for excitement as it will be the first time the viewers will watch India and South Africa lock horns against each other in Barbados.
Meanwhile, let’s figure out what went wrong for a strong side like England, who suffered a 68-run defeat.
England Missed the Key despite Winning the Toss against India
English captain Jos Buttler won the toss and decided to field on a pitch that was dry and slow. Despite heavy rains in the last couple of days, the great drainage system kept the ground from getting wet. Buttler felt that his team was ‘peaking’ at the right moment and it would be wise to chase in the second innings. On the other hand, Indian Captain Rohit Sharma seemed happy that his side was batting first. He admitted that he would decide to bat if he won the toss.
Jos’s decision misfired as India posted 172 runs on the board. The batters showed intelligence, read the pitch nicely, and played quality shots. Therefore, a target of 172 on a slow-low pitch had to be difficult to chase for any team, let alone England.
Kohli’s Early Dismissal but Rohit & Surya Marched Forward
The ongoing T20 World Cup has probably been the worst-ever ICC tournament for Virat Kohli. One of the greats of the game has failed to play an impact innings in this edition. Even today against England, Virat got out cheaply on just nine. Trying to hit Topley on the leg side cost him his wicket, as the ball missed the bat and hit the stumps. This is now Virat’s sixth single-digit score of the tournament.
Despite the early setback, captain Rohit Sharma did not shy away from his intent of playing aggressive cricket. He swung his bat for a few boundaries before losing Rishabh Pant on Sam Curran’s delivery. With two wickets down inside the powerplay, the onus was on the captain and the new entry, Suryakumar Yadav. The duo then went on to build a solid 73-run partnership, before Rohit Sharma got bowled off Adil Rashid’s delivery on 57.
Surya soon followed suit as India found itself on 124/4. With the last five overs remaining, a quick-fire 23 off 13 from Hardik Pandya and 17 off 9 from Ravindra Jadeja saw the team reach an ‘Over-Par’ score of 171 on the Guyanan wicket.
Spin to Win as Axar Patel won Man of the Match against England
Although Team India managed a decent score of 171, the captain & co knew who they were dealing with. England possesses one of the best T20 batters, especially in the current scenario. The opening pair of Phil Salt and Jos Buttler has proved to be a nightmare for teams, therefore, it was necessary to get rid of them early. However, a wavy first couple of overs from the Indian bowlers gave the Three Lions a decent start.
On 21 for no loss in three overs, the two batters look good. This is when Rohit brought Axar Patel from his spin arsenal to do the job. In his very first over, he took Buttler’s wicket, sending him back to the pavilion. Jasprit Bumrah came back to bowl his second over in the fifth and clean-bowled Salt. Patel, in his second over, got rid of Johnny Bairstow as England found itself 35/3 at the end of the powerplay.
From there on, it was a race against time and runs for Team England. Kuldeep Yadav was put on the attack and he got three scalps while giving away only 19 runs in his four-over spell. Moreover, Axar finished off with figures of 4/23 for 3 and a runout. Furthermore, his valuable 10 runs off six deliveries towards the end of the Indian innings is what earned him the Man of the Match award.
With this win, unbeaten India will now face South Africa. It promises to be an exciting encounter as it is something anyone hardly expected.