India withstand Bethell heroics to reach T20 World Cup final

India moved one step closer to successfully defending their T20 World Cup crown after defeating England in a high-scoring semifinal on Thursday in Mumbai. India's batting unit, led by Sanju Samson (89 off 42), fired in unison to post an imposing 253. England, despite a false start, went toe-to-toe with young Jacob Bethell leading the charge with a fine century (105 off 48). However, excellent bowling at the death, led by Jasprit Bumrah, proved decisive as the hosts prevailed by seven runs to reach the final, where New Zealand await.

On a belter of a surface at the Wankhede, India bossed the Powerplay after being asked to bat, hammering 67 runs despite losing Abhishek Sharma early. The opener, looking to clear the ropes, mistimed his stroke and was caught in the deep off Will Jacks.

The Powerplay could have taken a different turn had Harry Brook held a regulation chance to dismiss Samson on 15. Instead, Samson made England pay, taking full toll of the fielding restrictions.

Samson continued his assault, slamming Adil Rashid through the covers before effortlessly launching Liam Dawson over long-off for a six to bring up back-to-back fifties. Ishan Kishan kept the tempo up at the other end, striking boundaries and a six off Dawson. The pair put on a show before Rashid struck against the run of play, dismissing Kishan at the halfway mark.

The onslaught continued as Samson welcomed Jamie Overton back with a six before Shivam Dube launched Rashid for a couple of sixes. Samson then took on Jofra Archer but, in attempting to clear the ropes again off Jacks, mistimed one to depart for 89.

Rashid gave England hope by removing Suryakumar Yadav, but India still plundered 63 from the final four overs. Hardik Pandya found his groove, and an erratic over from Archer—where Tilak Varma hammered him for three sixes—proved costly. Hardik finished the innings with two more sixes in the final over to power India past 250.

With the ball, Hardik drew first blood as Phil Salt miscued badly. Jasprit Bumrah then delivered a crucial blow, outfoxing Brook with a slower ball, with Axar Patel completing a terrific catch running backwards. Bethell dragged England back into the chase by welcoming Varun Chakaravarthy with three sixes off the first three balls, but the spinner had the last laugh by castling Jos Buttler, ensuring England's top three were back in the pavilion inside the Powerplay.

Tom Banton threatened briefly with two sixes off Axar, but an attempt at a third saw his stumps rearranged. England still managed 119 at the halfway mark, largely thanks to Bethell's efforts. The left-hander toyed with the Indian attack, consistently switching his stance to good effect.

Over the next three overs, England were right back in the hunt with Bethell and Jacks going berserk. Chakaravarthy endured a hard time (1 for 64) and Axar leaked boundaries. Just as momentum seemed to shift, Axar pulled off a great effort near the boundary to break the flourishing partnership.

With overs trickling down, England were consistently ahead on the required rate, but the threat of Bumrah's remaining overs loomed. His 16th over cost just eight runs, forcing England to compensate elsewhere. A near-perfect over from Arshdeep Singh was ruined at the end by Bethell, who hit a six and a four, bringing the equation down to 45 off 18.

The game shifted decisively with Bumrah nailing a terrific 18th over, conceding just six runs. Bethell injected life into the chase with a six off the first ball of the penultimate over, bringing up his century. However, Hardik staged a strong comeback, conceding only three more runs off the next five deliveries. This left Dube with 30 runs to defend in the final over, which he did to confirm India's place in the final for the second consecutive edition.

Brief scores: India 253/7 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 89, Shivam Dube 43; Will Jacks 2/40) beat England 246/7 in 20 overs (Jacob Bethell 105, Will Jacks 35; Hardik Pandya 2/38, Jasprit Bumrah 1/33) by 7 runs.