India Just About Make It To The Final
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2026-03-06 01:41:10
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack
View all posts by this Author
The Wankhede pitch was a batter's paradise. Yet, when a team batting first in a World Cup T20 knockout puts 253 on the board, much of the wind goes out of the opposition's sails. Such a huge target in a World Cup knockout carries a pressure of its own - a burden many teams collapse under before the chase truly begins. Hence, hats off to England for matching India stroke for stroke and to 22-year-old Jacob Bethel for showing the world what a rare talent he is, displaying steely resolve and remarkable temperament under pressure. Though India held their nerves and won the match by 7 runs, England were also winners for attempting to chase a record total in a World Cup semifinal and almost getting there.
The turning point came when the England captain, Harry Brook, dropped a sitter with Sanju Samson on 15. With the out-of-form Abhishek Sharma back in the pavilion, Sanju's wicket at that point would have put England on top. It was a costly miss as Samson went on to score a dazzling 89 and was the mainstay around which the Indian batting prospered. India reached a mammoth 253 with useful contributions from Ishan Kishan (39), Shivam Dube (43), Hardik Pandya (27) and Tilak Verma (21 in only 7 balls). It was a total that was easily defendable, even on a flat pitch.
But India's bowling, except for Bumrah and Hardik, left a lot to be desired. They never found the length, bowled in the wrong areas and gave too many wides. The main culprit was Varun Chakravarthy, who gave away 64 runs in his 4 overs. Arshdeep Singh was also not far behind with 51 off his 4. India were brilliant on the field - Axar Patel was outstanding, with two stunning catches. If it was not for the 18th over from Bumrah (just 6 runs) and the 19th from Hardik (just 9 runs), which left England needing 30 from the last over, Bethel could have pulled this one off for his team.
Although India go into the final with New Zealand, they must take some hard decisions. Is it good to continue giving a chance to Abhishek Sharma despite his extended poor run? The better combination will be to open with Samson and Kishan and have Rinku Singh as the finisher. Is it good to persist with an erratic Varun when Kuldeep Yadav is on the bench? Should Arshdeep Singh continue when Md Siraj is there in the 15? India is on the verge of creating history, but these selection decisions must be taken firmly, as New Zealand arrive high on confidence after comprehensively beating South Africa.
