- By Namrata Vijay
- Fri, 06 Mar 2026 09:25 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs ENG T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal: England skipper Harry Brook accepted blame after their seven-run loss to India in the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal in Mumbai. Jacob Bethell scored his first hundred in T20s, but England failed to chase 254. Sanju Samson changed the game with a match-winning 89, helping India set a target of 253. Samson's score could have been lower if Brook had caught him in the third over, when Samson was on 15.
Jofra Archer kept his line and length, and Samson hit directly to Brook at mid-on. Brook dropped the catch, and England paid as Samson went on to score eight fours and seven sixes in a 42-ball knock at a 211.90 strike rate.
Talking about their misfielding, Brook said, "Absolutely, and I'll hold my hands up and say that I made a big mistake there dropping Samson, and yeah, catches win matches, that old famous phrase, and unfortunately, we just didn't go our way in the field tonight. Another day, it comes off.”
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He explained he bowled first after winning the toss, expecting dew to play a big role and the pitch to aid fast bowlers.
“We just thought that there might have been a little bit of hold early on with the pi. "We truly believed there might be some early help from the surface, and we pinned our hopes on some spin to slow things down. But as the ball skidded on, those hopes faded. Still, despite the disappointment, I am so proud of how hard our lads fought tonight and throughout this competition. They showed true heart," he added. have. Indian batters are among the best in the world, and if you misexecute against them, it goes out of the park. We gave it a red hot crack, but unfortunately, we came up short.”
Bethell's knock
Bethell kept England's hopes alive, smashing fours and sixes as the required rate climbed to 13-14 per over. While he was at the crease, England remained in contention, but he was dismissed in the final over when they needed 29 to win.
“He was absolutely unbelievable. I think he's gonna earn some serious money in his career, and he's gonna have a hell of a career with England, and yeah, he showed the world how good he is tonight. Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side, but that innings is an extremely big positive to take away from this competition and to see him go out there in the manner that he did, taking it to them from ball one and like I said, showing the world what he can do,” he added.
Brook remarked that England could be proud of their performance, noting that few teams could chase 250 and praising their fight.
“We had a good tournament, to be honest. As I said before, we should be extremely proud of how we played. We're never out of games, and that showed again tonight, chasing 250. Other teams could have folded, but we stuck to it and put up a fight, though it just wasn't our night.”
After defeating England, the Suryakumar Yadav-led side is just one match away from successfully defending their T20 World Cup title. They will lock horns with New Zealand during the final on Sunday in Ahmedabad.