Team India showcased its dominance with a commanding performance to storm into the T20 World Cup final, crushing England by 68 runs in the semi-final on Thursday. India asserted their dominance from the outset in the match, which also saw rain-related interruptions.
Skipper Rohit Sharma led the charge, whose aggressive 57 off 39 balls set a solid foundation after the early dismissals of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant. He received strong support from Suryakumar Yadav, who contributed 47 off 36 balls, helping India to a competitive total of 171/7 after being put into bat.
In response, England struggled against India’s relentless bowling attack and were bowled out for just 103 in 16.4 overs. With this victory, India booked a date with first-time finalists South Africa in Barbados on Saturday.
However, despite the dominance throughout the tournament, Virat Kohli’s poor form is one lingering concern for the side. The star batter has been horribly short of runs since the opening match of the edition, and it didn’t change in Guyana when he was dismissed for 9 off as many deliveries in the third over.
Kohli had been opening the innings alongside Rohit since the start of the tournament – a position he has played only once in his T20I career before the 2024 T20 World Cup – but the one where he excelled in the Indian Premier League over the past few years. The Indian captain was asked about Kohli’s form in the post-match presentation, but Rohit said he wasn’t too worried about the star batter’s form.
The Indian captain insisted that form doesn’t matter for experienced batters while hoping that Virat Kohli is saving his best for the all-important T20 World Cup final in Barbados, which takes place on Saturday (June 29).
“He’s a quality player. Any player can go through that. We do understand his class and his importance in all these big games. Form is never a problem because when you’ve played cricket for 15 years, it isn’t a problem. He is looking good, the intent is there. He’s probably saving for the finals,” Rohit told Michael Atherton in the post-match interview.
India will hope that their star batter takes centre stage in the final, where the side eyes on ending an 11-year ICC title drought. This will be India’s third appearance in the final of the coveted tournament, with their last coming in the 2014 edition, where the side faced a defeat to Sri Lanka.
