Rohit Sharma, spinners guide India to third T20 World Cup final

There was incessant rain and a tricky pitch to contend with, but India had the right answers. There was no stopping Rohit Sharma’s men from marching into the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a 68-run shellacking of England in their semi-final here on Thursday, June 27, 2024.

Leading the charge once again was their inspirational skipper Rohit Sharma, who laid the foundation with an aggressive 57 off 39 balls, and the captain was well-supported by Suryakumar Yadav (47 off 36), as India posted 171 for seven after being asked to bat first in the rain-hit match.

In reply, England were bowled out for 103 in 16.4 overs as India set up a title clash with first-timers South Africa in Barbados on Saturday. This is India's third entry into the final of the tournament.

England wilted under Indian might in the semifinal here on Thursday. Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav put on a clinic with the bat, before the spinners took over to scuttle the England chase.

The victory was set up by Rohit (57, 39b, 6x4, 2x6) and Suryakumar (47, 36b, 4x4, 2x6), both of whom excelled on a challenging pitch to push India to 171 for seven. This was well above a par score, as the sticky Guyana National Stadium surface tested batters with low bounce.

It took tremendous skill and patience for Rohit and Suryakumar to come good. The duo put on a crucial 73-run third-wicket stand to take India to safe waters.

There was attacking intent despite the tough conditions. Suryakumar got going with a clean straight hit in the second cherry he faced. The trademark paddle scoop was unleashed as well, when Suryakumar hoisted a wayward Chris Jordan into the deep fine-leg stands.

Rohit judged the pace well, staying low and hitting late. The captain negated the threat of leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who entered the attack in the seventh over. Rohit greeted Rashid with a reverse sweep, and followed up with a conventional sweep to leave the spinner rattled.

India was on a roll, but rain returned to cause another delay. With 250 minutes in the bank to extend playing hours, there was no reduction of overs required.

Rohit and Suryakumar continued from where they left off. Left-arm seamer Curran took a beating in the 13th over, leaking 19 runs. Suryakumar drew first blood with an inside-out scoop over point, and the second maximum came through an outrageous Rohit sweep.

Rashid got the breakthrough in the next over, deceiving Rohit with a googly which crept under the bat. Jofra Archer dismissed Suryakumar with a slower ball, leaving India at 124 for four. Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel struck a few big blows to keep the scoreboard moving at a healthy pace.

England lost its way early in the chase, losing three pegs in the PowerPlay. The dangerous Jos Buttler was picked off by left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who angled it in from around the wicket. Jasprit Bumrah’s slower ball foxed Phil Salt, and Axar scalped another when he rattled Jonny Bairstow with a flat, straight skidder.

India relentlessly pushed forward, removing Moeen Ali and Curran cheaply. At 49 for five, all hope was lost for England.

The end came swiftly, and the Indian juggernaut moved to within one game of lifting the World Cup trophy.

Brief scores:

India - 171 for 7 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 57, Suryakumar Yadav 47, Hardik Pandya 23, Chris Jordan 3/37, Adil Rashid 1/25, Jofra Archer 1/33, Reece Topley 1/25, Sam Curran 1/25) beat England - 103 in 16.4 overs (Axar Patel 3/23, Kuldeep Yadav 3/19, Jasprit Bumrah 2/12).