India Beats England in T20 Thriller
India secured a dramatic 7-run victory over England in the T20 World Cup semi-final at Wankhede, posting 253-7 and holding England to 246-7. Sanju Samson smashed 89 off 42 balls, with Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah holding firm despite Jacob Bethell's late scare. The record-setting run-fest sends India to their second straight T20 World Cup final against New Zealand.
The semi-final clash was a historic run-fest, producing the second-highest match aggregate ever in a men's T20 International with a combined 499 runs. India's total of 253/7 was the highest ever score in a T20 World Cup knockout match. The game also set a new record for the most sixes in a T20 World Cup match, with the ball clearing the boundary an astonishing 34 times. Sanju Samson's blistering 89 equalled the highest score by an Indian batter in a T20 World Cup knockout match, matching Virat Kohli's 89* in the 2016 semi-final. His seven sixes in the innings took his tournament tally to 16, breaking Rohit Sharma's record for the most sixes by an Indian player in a single T20 World Cup edition. For England, 22-year-old Jacob Bethell smashed his maiden T20I century, a valiant 105 off just 48 balls. His fifty came up in a mere 19 balls, the joint-fastest half-century in T20 World Cup knockout history. Bethell's score surpassed the record for the highest individual score in a T20 World Cup knockout, a record that had been set just one day prior by New Zealand's Finn Allen. This victory marks India's fourth appearance in a T20 World Cup final. They will face New Zealand, a team that has historically been a major hurdle for India in these tournaments. India has lost all three of their previous T20 World Cup encounters against the Black Caps. The final will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the largest cricket stadium in the world. While India has a strong record at the venue, winning seven of their ten T20Is played there, New Zealand has never won a match at the ground in two previous attempts.
