India vs England highlights, 2024 T20 World Cup: 3 moments that generated buzz among fans in 2nd semifinal ft. Rohit Sharma
India and England faced off in the second semifinals of the 2024 T20 World Cup at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday, June 27. The Rohit Sharma-led side clinched a convincing 68-run win to book a spot in the final.
England won the toss and elected to field first. India were off to a dismal start, with Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant back in the hut within the powerplay. Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav bailed their side out of trouble with clutch knocks, scoring 57 and 47, respectively.
Hardik Pandya (23) and Ravindra Jadeja (17*) also chipped in with valuable contributions, while Axar Patel's six in the final over helped the Men in Blue cross the 170-run mark. The team ultimately registered 171/7 in 20 overs.
Chris Jordan picked up three wickets, while Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, and Reece Topley claimed one scalp each. The Indian bowlers ran riot in the second half of the game.
The English batters struggled to get going and were bundled out for just 103. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel took three wickets apiece, while Jasprit Bumrah finished with two wickets.
Here, we take a look at three moments from the IND vs ENG 2024 T20 World Cup semifinals that generated buzz among the fans.
#1 Rohit Sharma's audacious six off Sam Curran to reach his half-century
Rohit Sharma got a massive reprieve early in his knock after being dropped by Philip Salt at point in the second over. The missed chance proved costly for England as the Indian skipper notched up a fine half-century.
The ace batter dazzled the viewers with his strokeplay, hitting six fours and two maximums. Sharma completed his fifth with a stunning six off Sam Curran's bowling.
He went down on one knee and played a sweep shot against the left-arm pacer which sailed over the square-leg fence. It is worth mentioning that Rohit became the first Indian skipper to hit a half-century in a men's T20I World Cup knockout match.
#2 Axar Patel's impactful spell in the powerplay to put India in a commanding position
With the conditions favoring spinners, India brought Axar Patel to bowl the fourth over of England's innings. The left-arm spinner made an impact straightaway, striking in his very first ball.
He drew first blood for India, sending back Jos Buttler, who scored 23 runs off 15 balls. The swashbuckling batter was out caught behind while playing the reverse sweep.
Axar provided his side with another crucial breakthrough in the powerplay, bamboozling Jonny Bairstow in the sixth over for a duck. The keeper-batter looked to play it with the turn but was undone by the ball going through with the arm. He failed to get any connection and the ball crashed onto the stumps.
The crafty spinner bagged his third wicket of the match by dismissing Moeen Ali for eight runs in the eighth over. The southpaw was stumped by Rishabh Pant.
#3 Suryakumar Yadav's direct hit to run out Adil Rashid
Apart from his important knock with the bat, Suryakumar Yadav also shone in the field. He got Adil Rashid out in the 16th over with his fielding brilliance.
Rashid played short of a length ball from Hardik Pandya on the on-side and set off for a quick single. Suryakumar was quick to collect the ball and completed a stunning direct hit to send the leg-spinner back.
The run-out summed up India's dominance over England, as Rohit Sharma and company outperformed the opposition in all three departments to qualify for the all-important summit clash.