(Image source from: x.com/ICC)
The Indian cricket team has reached the finals of the T20 World Cup for the first time in 10 years. The Rohit Sharma-led squad secured a convincing 68-run victory over England in the second semi-final match at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday. As the 2007 champions, they will now face off against South Africa, who dominated Afghanistan by 9 wickets in the first semi-final. In Guyana, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav played crucial innings, helping India post a total of 171 for 7 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first. The team was in a tricky situation at 40 for 2 in 5.2 overs, but Rohit and Suryakumar's solid 73-run partnership helped them recover. Rohit scored 57 off 39 balls, while Suryakumar hit 47 off 36 balls. In the second innings, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav were the star performers for India, as they bowled out England for 103 in just 16.4 overs, securing a 68-run victory. The final between India and South Africa will take place on June 29 in Barbados.
India are up and running in Guyana #T20WorldCup | #INDvENG | : https://t.co/zN7urMU4cD pic.twitter.com/QfPav73BxB
— ICC (@ICC) June 27, 2024
Cricketers Buttler (23), Harry Brook (25), and Jofra Archer (21) showed their batting prowess. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel each claimed three wickets for India, while Jasprit Bumrah took two. Axar Patel was named the Player of the Match. This match holds promise for India to end their 11-year drought of an ICC trophy. After losing the toss, India posted 171/7 in 20 overs at the Guyana National Stadium. England needed 172 runs to reach the final and defend their T20 World Cup title on June 29 in Barbados. Rohit Sharma scored a consecutive half-century (57 off 39 balls), and Suryakumar Yadav contributed 47 off 36 balls. Hardik added 23 crucial runs. For England, Chris Jordan took three wickets, while Reece Topley, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, and Adil Rashid each claimed one. The toss was delayed due to wet ground conditions, but the second semi-final between India and England commenced at 9:15 pm IST in Guyana. The match commenced at 11:10 pm in the Indian Standard Time zone. At that juncture, the Indian team had accumulated a score of 65 runs with the loss of 2 wickets, having played 8 overs.