India Reach World Cup Final After Beating England Despite Bethell’s Century

Staff Reporter | PNN

In the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup held in Mumbai, India and England produced a batting spectacle. Despite explosive performances from batters of both teams and a flood of runs, India secured a dramatic 7-run victory to reach the final.

Chasing a massive target of 253 runs in the match held on Thursday (March 5), England managed 246 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs, falling just short of victory.

England’s young batter Jacob Bethell fought brilliantly, scoring a blistering 105 runs off 48 balls, hitting 8 fours and 7 sixes. Until he was run out while attempting a quick two at the start of the final over, he had kept England’s hopes of victory alive.

However, England’s start was poor. Phil Salt was dismissed for 5 runs when the score was just 13. Captain Harry Brook followed for 7 runs, and Jos Buttler returned to the pavilion after scoring 25 runs off 17 balls.

Bethell tried to rebuild with Tom Banton in the fourth-wicket partnership. After Banton scored 17 runs from 5 balls and got out, Bethell accelerated the scoring with Will Jacks. The pair added 77 runs in just over six and a half overs before Jacks departed for 36 runs off 20 balls.

Later, Bethell continued the attack with Sam Curran, bringing up his first T20 century in 45 balls by hitting a six off Hardik Pandya.

However, after Bethell’s dismissal, England’s chances of victory faded significantly. Towards the end, Jofra Archer smashed three sixes in four balls to score 18 runs, slightly reducing the margin, but England could not secure the win.

For India, Hardik Pandya took 2 wickets for 38 runs. Jasprit Bumrah’s controlled bowling at crucial moments also played an important role in turning the match.

Earlier, batting first after losing the toss, India scored 253 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs. Sanju Samson made a rapid 89 runs off 42 balls, while Ishan Kishan scored 39 runs off 18 balls and Shivam Dube added 43 runs from 25 balls. Towards the end, Hardik Pandya scored 27 off 12 balls and Tilak Varma contributed 21 off 7 balls, pushing the total higher.

The combined total of 499 runs scored by both teams became the highest aggregate in a single match in T20 World Cup history.