India reached the T20 World Cup final with a dramatic seven-run win over England as Jacob Bethell’s stunning 105 off 48 balls could not quite drag his side over the line.
Put in, India posted a tournament-record 253-7, powered by Sanju Samson’s 89 off 42 and a 97-run second-wicket stand with Ishan Kishan (39 off 18). Samson smashed seven sixes and eight fours as India raced to 100 by the ninth over and were pushed on by Shivam Dube (43 off 25), Hardik Pandya (27 off 12) and Tilak Varma (21 off 7). Varun Chakravarthy was expensive, conceding 64 in his four overs.
England’s reply was built around a whirlwind hundred from 19-year-old Bethell, who hit seven sixes and eight fours and put on 77 for the fifth wicket with Will Jacks (35 off 20). Promoted after Harry Brook’s early dismissal, Bethell reached fifty in 19 balls and accelerated the chase, repeatedly finding boundaries to keep England in the hunt.
But India kept enough pressure with the ball. Jasprit Bumrah (1-33) and Hardik Pandya (2-38) tightened in the death overs, and Axar Patel produced a crucial one-handed catch to remove Brook and later helped run out Jacks via a sharp boundary relay. Bethell brought up his century with a six off the first ball of Pandya’s penultimate over, but England managed only three from the next five deliveries, a sequence that included Sam Curran’s wicket. Needing 30 off the last over, Bethell was run out at the start; Jofra Archer struck three sixes in the finale but the side finished 246-7, chasing 254.
A dropped chance earlier in the innings proved costly — Brook admitted he spilled a simple chance at mid-on off Samson when the India batter was on 15. That reprieve allowed Samson to dominate and set the platform for India’s big total.
Score summary: India 253-7 (20 overs) — Sanju Samson 89, Shivam Dube 43, Ishan Kishan 39. England 246-7 (20 overs) — Jacob Bethell 105, Will Jacks 35, Jos Buttler 25. Key wickets: Hardik Pandya 2-38, Jasprit Bumrah 1-33.
England captain Harry Brook praised Bethell’s innings and admitted the dropped catch was decisive. Head coach Brendon McCullum hailed the team’s fight in a hostile atmosphere and said he was proud of their toughness.
India will now face New Zealand in the final at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday.