India edges England in high-scoring thriller to reach T20 World Cup final

MUMBAI — In a semifinal that will be remembered for its avalanche of runs and nerve-shredding finish, India defeated England by seven runs at a raucous Wankhede Stadium on Thursday to book a place in the Twenty20 World Cup final. The co-hosts will meet New Zealand on Sunday in Ahmedabad with the chance to become the first side to lift three men’s T20 world titles and the first to retain the trophy.

The numbers were staggering: 499 runs, 34 sixes — both tournament records — and two batting line-ups trading haymakers until the final over. India’s 253-7 is the fourth-highest total in T20 World Cup annals; England’s 246-7 is the fifth. Yet the margin, a mere seven runs, told the story of a match that swung with every boundary.

Sanju Samson, dropped on 15, produced the innings of the night, striking 89 off 42 balls to earn player-of-the-match honours. The right-hander reached his fifty in 26 deliveries and shared a 97-run stand off 45 balls with Ishan Kishan, whose 39 came at better than a run-a-ball. Shivam Dube’s promotion up the order yielded 43 off 25, including four sixes, as India surged past 150 in the 14th over. Late cameos from Hardik Pandya (27) and Tilak Varma (21) lifted the total beyond 250 on a pristine batting strip.

England’s reply began inauspiciously. Axar Patel sprinted back from mid-off to hold a spectacular catch that removed Phil Salt for 5, and Jasprit Bumrah’s pace accounted for Harry Brook (7). Jos Buttler never found fluency, making 25 off 17, and when Axar bowled Tom Banton for 17, England were 95-4 in the eighth over.

Enter Jacob Bethell. The left-hander blazed his maiden T20 hundred, reaching the landmark off 45 balls and finishing with seven sixes. He added 77 off 39 with Will Jacks (35) and a further 50 off 27 with Sam Curran (18) to keep the asking rate within range. When Bethell fell to a sharp throw while attempting an ill-advised second run on the first ball of the final over, England still needed 30.

Pandya and Dube held their nerve in those closing six deliveries, conceding only boundary-less singles as India closed out a second consecutive T20 World Cup semifinal victory over England.

Jofra Archer bore the brunt of the onslaught, his 1-61 the most expensive figures by an England bowler in a men’s T20 World Cup. At the other end, Bumrah’s 1-33 in four overs and Axar’s twin screamers in the field proved decisive.

India now stand one win away from history; New Zealand, still chasing a first men’s T20 crown, await in Ahmedabad.