- By Namrata Vijay
- Fri, 06 Mar 2026 10:35 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs ENG T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal: India qualified for the summit clash of the ongoing mega event by beating England by seven runs in Mumbai on Thursday. On the back of Sanju Samson's match-winning innings, India posted a mammoth target of 253 runs.
The Harry Brook-led side did put up a fight. Jacob Bethell's maiden T20I ton helped them, but the Men in Blue held their nerves and won the match.
Harry Brook won the toss and chose to bowl first. He thought the conditions under the light would help the bowlers. The Indian openers batted aggressively as Samson immediately piled the pressure on the English bowlers.
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He went all guns blazing. He smashed the balls towards the covers and boundaries, helping the team perform brilliantly during the power play.
Samson turned this knock into a personal milestone. He mixed strokeplay with aggressive batting and took the English bowlers to the cleaners. He ensured the team maintained a good run rate and laid the foundation for a mammoth target for England to chase.
Sanju Samson’s Power Surge Sets The Platform
India's knock featured another brilliant performance by Sanju Samson. He continued his sublime form after his match-winning knock in the Super 8s stage. He set the foundation quickly and took England's Jofra Archer to the cleaners in the first few overs.
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England skipper Harry Brook dropped a sitter while standing at mid-on when Samson had scored just 15 runs. They had to pay the price for this mistake. Samson then began batting aggressively. He smashed eight fours and seven sixes, entertaining fans at the Wankhede Stadium.
Till the end of the powerplay, the Men in Blue were 67/1 and had completely dominated the match.
Samson scored his fifty off just 26 balls by smashing a six in Liam Dawson's over. He also stitched a match-winning partnership of 97 runs with Ishan Kishan. Kishan scored a gritty 38 runs off 18 balls and made sure that the scoring rate didn't go down during the middle overs.
Middle-Order Firepower Pushes India Past 250
After Samson's dismissal, India's onslaught didn't slow down. Shivam Dube scored a brilliant knock of 43 runs off 25 balls. He smashed four sixes and gave the England bowlers a hard time.
Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma's late surge ensured the Men in Blue posted a mammoth target. Varma smashed three sixes in his quickfire knock. Pandya's late hitting helped the team post a massive total.
The Suryakumar Yadav-led side scored 253 runs. The Indian batters smashed 19 sixes and 18 fours and showed aggressive power hitting. They left the Three Lions with one of the biggest targets to chase in the tournament’s history.
Jacob Bethell’s Stunning Century Keeps England Alive
The Harry Brook-led side had a shaky start to their chase and suffered early blows. Hardik Pandya first dismissed Phil Salt. Then Jasprit Bumrah took the important wicket of Harry Brook.
England did suffer a few blows, but they fought back. Jacob Bethell came into bat with intent. He went all guns blazing from the first ball and smashed a few sixes in Varun Chakravarthy's over.
The youngster single-handedly kept England alive in the chase with aggressive hitting. He stitched a gritty partnership of 77 runs with Will Jacks. Jack scored 35 runs and helped England bounce back for a while.
He smashed a brilliant ton off just 47 balls. He struck eight fours and seven sixes in what was a remarkable knock and took the team to the last over.
Axar Patel’s Blinder And Jasprit Bumrah’s Precision Seal The Win
Just when England tried to make a dramatic comeback, the Men in Blue produced some brilliant moments on the field. When Jacks tried to go big during Arshdeep Singh's over, Axar Patel ran towards the boundary and took a stunning catch. He threw the ball up in the air, and Shivam Dube completed the relay catch.
This effort dismissed a set batter and turned the tide back in India's favour.
After that, Jasprit Bumrah performed brilliantly during the death overs. He bowled a few Yorkers and tried to halt England's scoring rate. He ensured the required run rate was out of reach.
Bethell fought to the end, but his efforts were in vain. England could score just 246 runs and failed to chase one of the highest totals in this tournament's history.
India's aggressive batting, Axar's brilliant fielding, and Bumrah's perfect execution under pressure helped them qualify for another summit clash in this tournament.