India beats England to enter T20 World Cup final

Jacob Bethell's century went in vain as India, riding on the back of Sanju Samson's 89, Shivam Dube's 43, and Ishan Kishan's 39, defeated England by seven runs in a thrilling second semi-final of the T20 World Cup on Thursday to book a spot in the final. Sanju Samson was adjudged the 'Player of the Match'.

Chasing a stiff target of 254, England got off to a poor start, losing two wickets for 38 runs. Phil Salt (5) and captain Harry Brook (7) fell cheaply. In the sixth over, Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Jos Buttler to give India their third breakthrough. Buttler had scored 25 runs off 17 balls, hitting four fours and a six. Tom Banton (17) was then bowled by Axar Patel.

Thereafter, Will Jacks, along with Jacob Bethell, added 77 runs for the fifth wicket, increasing India's worries. In the 14th over, Arshdeep Singh broke the partnership by dismissing Will Jacks. Jacks had scored 35 runs off 20 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes. In the 19th over, Hardik Pandya dismissed Sam Curran (18) to turn the match in India's favor once again. In the final over, Shivam Dube's first ball saw Jacob Bethell get run out, dealing a severe blow to England's hopes. Bethell had played a blistering knock of 105 runs off 48 balls, hitting eight fours and seven sixes.

England managed to score 246/7 in the allotted 20 overs, losing the match by seven runs. Jofra Archer remained not out on 19, hitting three sixes in the final over. For India, Hardik Pandya picked up two wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, and Arshdeep Singh claimed one wicket each.

Earlier, Sanju Samson (89), Shivam Dube (43), and Ishan Kishan (39) had powered India to a massive total of 253/7 in the second semi-final against England. England had won the toss and opted to field first. India's innings got off to a poor start, losing Abhishek Sharma (9) in the second over. Thereafter, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson steadied the innings and scored runs at a brisk pace. The two batsmen added 97 runs for the second wicket. In the 10th over, Adil Rashid dismissed Ishan Kishan to break the partnership. Kishan had scored 39 runs off 18 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes.

India lost their third wicket in the form of Sanju Samson in the 14th over. Will Jacks dismissed Samson to claim his second wicket. Samson had played a brilliant knock of 89 runs off 42 balls, hitting eight fours and seven sixes. In the 16th over, Adil Rashid dismissed Suryakumar Yadav (11). Shivam Dube was run out in the 18th over. Dube had scored 43 runs off 25 balls, hitting a four and four sixes. In the 19th over, Jofra Archer bowled Tilak Varma, who had scored 21 runs off seven balls, hitting three sixes. In the final over, Hardik Pandya was run out, having scored 27 runs off 12 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes. India posted a massive total of 253/7 in the allotted 20 overs, the highest score in the Super 12 stage.

For England, Adil Rashid and Will Jacks picked up two wickets each, while Jofra Archer claimed one wicket.