India's journey to the T20 World Cup final has been marked by a dominant performance against England in the semi-finals.
After being put into bat by England, India faced early setbacks with Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant departing cheaply. However, Rohit Sharma (57) and Suryakumar Yadav (47) steadied the innings with a crucial 73-run partnership. Despite rain interruptions, they took India to a competitive total of 171/7 in their allotted overs. Contributions from Hardik Pandya (23) and Ravindra Jadeja (17 not out) in the latter overs boosted India's score.
In response, England struggled against India's spin attack. Kuldeep Yadav (3-19) and Axar Patel (3-23) were the standout bowlers, sharing six wickets between them to restrict England to just 103 all out. England faltered in their chase, losing wickets at regular intervals and failing to cope with the slow and low pitch conditions at Providence Stadium.
Rohit Sharma's innings, following his impressive 92 against Australia, was pivotal in India's total. Despite initial struggles, his partnership with Suryakumar Yadav set the foundation. Axar Patel's late cameo with the bat and crucial wickets further bolstered India's performance.
With this win, India sets up a final clash with South Africa, who also maintained an unbeaten record throughout the tournament. Both teams will meet in Barbados on Saturday, with India aiming for their first major title since the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Despite the team's success, Virat Kohli's batting form has been a concern throughout the tournament, managing only 75 runs in seven innings at an average of 10.71. His struggle continued in the semi-finals as well, highlighting an area of focus for India ahead of the final.
India's comprehensive victory over England underscores their strength and determination in the T20 format, setting the stage for an exciting final against South Africa.