India flaunted their superabundance of talent in a display of absolute dominance to storm into the final of the T20 World Cup with a 68-run shellacking of England in their semi-final in Guyana on Thursday. Leading the charge once again was their inspirational skipper Rohit Sharma, who laid the foundation with an aggressive 57 off 39 balls, and the captain was well-supported by Suryakumar Yadav (47 off 36), as India posted 171 for seven after being asked to bat first in the rain-hit match.

In reply, England were bowled out for 103 in 16.4 overs as India set up a title clash with first-timers South Africa in Barbados on Saturday. This is India’s third entry into the final of the tournament.

Hardik Pandya chipped in with a 13-ball 23, striking two sixes at a crucial juncture to prop up India.

On a slow, holding pitch with low bounce, left-arm Axar Patel (3/23) helped India tightened their grip on the match with his brilliant bowling, while his slow-bowling colleague Kuldeep Yadav (3/19) caused the damage in the middle overs.

The Indian team thus exacted revenge for the crushing 10-wicket loss it endured against the defending champions in the 2022 semifinal of the mega-event at the Adelaide Oval.

In the process, Rohit became the first Indian captain to lead the country in three ICC global finals in a space of 12 months — 2023 World Test Championship, 2023 ODI World Cup and now the T20 World Cup.

Considering India’s all-round bowling attack and nature of the surface, Rohit’s men were expected to defend the total and they did that rather comfortably.

His decision to use Axar in the powerplay proved to be a masterstroke as the left-arm spinner struck twice in quick succession, from which England could not recover.

Wrist spinner Kuldeep also played his part to perfection on a pitch that suited the spinners all through the competition.

Jos Buttler (23 off 15), Harry Brook (25 off 19) and Jofra Archer (21 off 15) were the only England batters to reach double figures, summing up India’s dominance in the game. Both Buttler and Brook fell while attempting the reverse sweep against Axar and Kuldeep respectively.

“We adapted to the conditions really well. It was a challenge and we adapted. We played the conditions really well,” Rohit said after the match.

India, who are yet to lose a game in the tournament, will be hoping that their star batter Virat Kohli finds run in the all-important title clash. Kohli (9 off 9) perished early once again on Thursday, trying to force the pace.

The keenly awaited fixture was impacted by intermittent rain with the start of play being delayed by one hour and 15 minutes. Another long halt came when India were 65 for two in eight overs.

As many as 250 additional minutes were allotted to the game but there was no reserve day.

Soon after Kohli and Rohit came out to bat after England put the opposition in, it became clear the surface was on the slower side and low bounce made the task trickier for the batters.

While Kohli fell early, Rohit adapted to the conditions much better and decided to play the ball late and behind the stumps. One example of that was the guide over backward point off Archer in the second over when the ball went through Phil Salt’s hands to reach the boundary. Setting the benchmark for other batters, Rohit then collected back-to-back fours in Topley’s third over before applying pressure on England’s premier spinner Adil Rashid after India reached 46 for two in the powerplay.

Rishabh Pant (4) was the second batter to be dismissed as he mistimed a flick to be caught at midwicket off Sam Curran.

Then came the engrossing match-up between Rohit and Rashid where the Indian captain employed the reverse and conventional sweep to collect two fours from the leg-spinner’s opening over.

Suryakumar was batting on 13 alongside Rohit when rain returned at the Providence Stadium, forcing the game to be paused for more than an hour.

The weather played spoilsport two balls after Suryakumar got inside the line to pick Jordan over fine leg for a maximum.

England used the leg-spin of Rashid and Liam Livingstone from both ends after the forced break but they could not stifle Rohit and Suryakumar.

A full toss from Rashid was duly dispatched over short fine leg for four, the first of many boundaries that India accumulated in the middle overs.

The 13th over from Curran yielded 19 runs for India with Suryakumar smashing a couple of sixes and Rohit played a pick-up shot for a maximum that also brought up his second successive fifty.

The entertaining 73-run ended when Rohit was beaten by a googly from Rashid while attempting a slog.

Following Curran’s bumper 13th over, the next fours were quiet for India before Hardik Pandya (23 off 13) hit two flat sixes on either side of the pitch to push the innings forward.

Ravindra Jadeja (17 not out off 9), sent ahead of Shivam Dube, got two crucial fours off Archer in the penultimate over while the latter’s stay lasted only one ball.

Axar’s six off Jordan in the final over took India past 170. The team scored 53 runs in the last five overs. 

India are all set to take on England in the 2nd Semi-Final on June 27 at the Providence Stadium, in Guyana . Considering their recent form, India are slight favourites against England while the English will fancy their chances as well. Ahead of this mouth-watering contest, let’s have a look at India’s predicted XI against England.

Predicted XI

Rohit Sharma (c)

Skipper Rohit Sharma is currently the highest run-scorer for India in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The explosive top-order batter has smashed 191 runs in six innings so far this season at an impressive strike rate of 159.16.

Furthermore, Rohit has had a decent record against England in T20 internationals. He has amassed 410 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 138.98 against the Englishmen and would like to add more to that tally on Thursday.

Virat Kohli

Former Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, has been through a lean patch in the ongoing tournament. He has scored 66 runs in six innings in the 2024 T20 World Cup and will be hoping to find top gear in the all-important knockout matches that are upcoming.

He has normally had an upper hand batting against England. Kohli has smashed 639 runs in 20 innings against them averaging at 39.93 and a strike rate of 135.66. Additionally, he has played a T20I at the Providence Stadium, scoring a 45-ball 59 and would be raring to go big in the Semi-Final game.

Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper)

Swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter, Rishabh Pant, has been a bright spark in this edition of the World Cup with 167 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 132.53. Surprisingly, Pant is yet to score a fifty in this tournament.

Coming back from a year-long injury, Pant had a 446-run IPL 2024 campaign for Delhi Capitals, which made him the first-choice wicketkeeper in India’s starting XI for the T20 World Cup 2024.

The southpaw is currently performing well at No.3 and could be an X-factor against England.

Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav is also enjoying decent form with the bat as the hard hitter has scored 149 runs in six innings so far at a strike rate of 139.25.

After back-to-back fifties against the USA and Afghanistan, respectively, Suryakumar played an important 31-run cameo against Australia, which kept the run rate healthy for India.

The No.1 T20I batter in the world has smashed 274 runs against England in six innings at a strike rate of 191.60 and will be looking forward to scoring big against them.

Shivam Dube

“If the pitch suits spinners, Dube will be a weapon,” former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming said ahead of the England clash. “He can change the game with just two or three big hits,” he added.

Shivam Dube’s ability to play spin coupled with his IPL 2024 campaign, where he smashed 396 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 162.29 is what has seen him in the playing XI for India.

The hard-hitting all-rounder struggled in the USA leg of the tournament but has managed to score 106 runs in six matches. He could prove effective against England’s spinners on Thursday.

Hardik Pandya

After all the chaos around his IPL 2024 stint with Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya has enjoyed a solid T20 World Cup with bat and ball.

The star all-rounder has made a strong comeback, scoring 116 runs in four innings at an impressive strike rate of 145 and picking eight wickets with the ball. His presence will truly play a vital role in India’s starting XI against England.

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja’s poor form in the T20 World Cup could be one of the biggest concerns for India’s think tank ahead of the semi-final. However, his all-round capabilities, fielding ability and vast experience on the international circuit cannot be overlooked.

The southpaw has only managed 16 runs in three innings and taken one scalp in the tournament so far. Needless to say, Jadeja will be looking to produce a top-quality display against England.

Axar Patel

Bowling all-rounder Axar Patel’s contributions to India’s success have been crucial in the T20 World Cup, scoring 35 runs in three innings and picking up five wickets.

Axar also had a decent IPL 2024 campaign, taking 11 wickets in 14 matches at an economy of 7.65 for Delhi Capitals. The left-arm spinner alongside Kuldeep Yadav and Jadeja could be lethal against English batters.

Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav has carried his IPL 2024 success to the T20 World Cup by picking up seven wickets in just three matches. Additionally, with 66 wickets in 38 T20Is, Kuldeep has become an integral part of India’s spin-bowling unit of late.

He scalped the crucial wickets of Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell in his last appearance against Australia in the tournament and can be expected to be amongst the wickets again when he takes on England.

Jasprit Bumrah

India pace spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah, has been on a dream run with the ball ever since he returned from his injury. He was ultimately at his best in the IPL 2024 as well, picking up 20 wickets for Mumbai Indians.

With an excellent economy rate of 4.08 and taking 11 scalps in six matches, Bumrah is currently enjoying his best T20 World Cup campaign. He has also led India’s pace battery in this tournament and is likely to be among the wickets when he faces England batters in Guyana.

Arshdeep Singh

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has been the regular source of wickets for India, especially in the early and closing stages of an innings.

With an economy of 7.41 and 15 wickets, Arshdeep is currently one of the highest wicket-takers in the tournament and will be a player to watch out for against England.