Guyana, 28 June 2024- In a remarkable turn of events, India secured a spot in the T20 World Cup final by defeating defending champions England by 68 runs in a rain-interrupted match in Guyana. This victory ends India's finals drought since their runner-up finish in the 2014 T20 World Cup.

The English captain, Jos Buttler, won the toss and opted to field first, a decision influenced by the intermittent rain. However, Indian captain Rohit Sharma, confident in his team's batting capabilities, stated that he would have chosen to bat regardless.

India's innings began with early setbacks, losing key players Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant within the powerplay for a mere eight runs. Despite these early losses, Rohit Sharma played a captain's knock, scoring a vital 57 runs. He was ably supported by Suryakumar Yadav, who added 47 runs to the tally. In the latter stages of the innings, Hardik Pandya's quickfire 23 propelled India to a competitive total of 171 for seven wickets. England's Chris Jordan emerged as the standout bowler, claiming three wickets.

In response, England's batting lineup faltered from the outset. Aksar Patel initiated the collapse, followed by a disciplined performance from Jasprit Bumrah. The English batsmen struggled against the spin duo of Aksar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed three wickets each. Harry Brook (25) and Jos Buttler (23) were the only English batsmen to offer some resistance. Ultimately, England was bowled out for 103 runs, securing a comprehensive victory for India.

Aksar Patel's all-round performance earned him the Man of the Match award.

Match Summary:

Toss: England won and elected to field.

Venue: Providence Stadium, Guyana.

India's Batting:

  - Rohit Sharma: 57

  - Suryakumar Yadav: 47

  - Hardik Pandya: 23

England's Bowling:

  - Chris Jordan: 3 wickets

England's Batting:

  - Harry Brook: 25

  - Jos Buttler: 23

India's Bowling:

  - Aksar Patel: 3 wickets

  - Kuldeep Yadav: 3 wickets

  - Jasprit Bumrah: 2 wickets

 

Squads:

India XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Aksar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav.

England XI: Jos Buttler (captain), Phil Salt, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley.

India will now prepare for the T20 World Cup final, hoping to clinch their second title and end a long wait for T20 glory.