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Sanju Samson rose yet again, blasting a ferocious 89 to propel India to a 7-run win over England, who fell short despite Bethell’s heroic century within the 2026 T20 WC semifinal.
Sanju Samson’s masterful 89 powered India to a mammoth total of 253 runs — one which Engaldn couln’t chase, despite Bethell’s fiery century (AP)
The 2026 T20 World Cup final is about: India will face Recent Zealand in Ahmedabad on March 8, after the Men in Blue powered past England in a high-octane semi-final at Wankhede on Thursday.
When the stakes were sky-high, it was “Chetta” Sanju Samson, who rose yet again, blasting a ferocious 89 to propel India to a 7-run win over England, who fell short despite a heroic 105-run outing from Jacob Bethell.
Samson Turns Brook’s Blunder Into Carnage
India and England walked into the semi-final with history already hanging within the balance.
It was their third straight T20 World Cup semi-final meeting and a record sixth appearance at this stage for each teams. Each side had equivalent campaigns (six wins and one defeat each), and each were chasing a 3rd T20 World Cup title.
India, nevertheless, had something even greater on the road: becoming the primary team ever to win back-to-back T20 World Cups.
England skipper Harry Brook won the toss and selected to bowl: a call that looked smart when Abhishek Sharma fell early.
Then got here the moment England would regret all night.
Brook spilt an easy probability to present Sanju Samson a life, and the Kerala batter responded with absolute mayhem.
What followed was less batting and more full-blown aerial warfare.
Samson tore into England’s attack with fearless hitting, while Ishan Kishan, promoted to No.3, played the right supporting role. Kishan kept the scoreboard ticking while letting “Chetta” unleash from the opposite end.
The pair added 97 runs — India’s highest partnership in a T20 World Cup knockout — before Adil Rashid finally removed Kishan within the tenth over.
By then, India were flying at 119/2 on the halfway mark, with Samson still in devastating touch.
England briefly hit back when Will Jacks dismissed Samson for 89, denying him what looked like a certain century.
However the carnage continued.
Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube piled on the pain, with Dube smashing 43 off 25 balls before being run out, becoming only the second batter after MS Dhoni (2007) to be run out 3 times in a single T20 World Cup edition.
Then got here the ultimate flourish.
Tilak Varma smashed three sixes off Jofra Archer in a blazing 21 off seven balls, pushing India to a mammoth 253: the fourth-highest total in T20 World Cup history.
The numbers were ridiculous: 37 boundaries (18 fours, 19 sixes).
India also set the record for many sixes in a T20 World Cup knockout while equalling the record for many sixes in a single T20 WC innings.
Bethell Fights, Bumrah Finishes
Chasing 254, England needed something extraordinary.
Their hopes took an early hit when Hardik Pandya removed Phil Salt for five, before Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Brook for 7 (while also claiming his five hundredth international wicket), leaving England at 38/2 in 4.1 overs.
Then got here Jacob Bethell’s counterattack.
The fearless teenager smashed three straight sixes off Varun Chakaravarthy and raced to a surprising 19-ball fifty: the joint-fastest in a T20 World Cup knockout and the fastest ever by an England batter within the tournament.
With Will Jacks joining him, England briefly threatened to tug off the unattainable.
But just because the momentum began to swing, Arshdeep Singh struck.
A sensational relay catch — Axar Patel’s leap and Shivam Dube’s protected hands — sent Jacks packing and swung the sport back India’s way.
England were 172/5 after 14 overs. 82 needed from 36 balls.
Bethell kept fighting, but Jasprit Bumrah slammed the door shut.
The ace pacer delivered two ice-cold overs under pressure — conceding just eight runs within the sixteenth and 6 within the 18th, mixing yorkers and slower balls to perfection.
With 39 needed from the ultimate two overs, England needed a miracle.
Bethell smashed Pandya within the penultimate over to achieve his scintillating century in only 45 balls. However the all-rounder struck back to remove Sam Curran and suck all hope out of the Englishmen, who needed 30 runs in the ultimate over to win.
Dube was given the ball for the last over, in what got here across as a cheeky yet composed gesture towards the visitors. And Bethell, despite his best efforts, couldn’t find it in him — as he was run out in the primary ball of the last over.
And that was the top of all of it for the Englishmen.
England ultimately fell short by a mere 7 runs, and that’s the story of how India marched into the ultimate — as they lie one win away from history.
March 05, 2026, 22:52 IST
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