India’s decade-long wait to make the T20 World Cup Final is over. The Rohit Sharma-led side have beaten England to heal the Adelaide scars from two years ago. Playing in their biggest match so far, the Men in Blue pulled out their best performance of the tournament. A true collective effort, with multiple players putting their hands up with both bat and ball.
Rohit-Surya lead India’s all-round batting display
From the get-go, it was obvious that the pitch wasn’t great to bat. Despite the pacers not getting seam or swing movement, the batters were finding it tough to hit. The ball was sticking into the surface, and due to the rain, the outfield was on the slower side. Virat Kohli perished in an attempt to strike quickly. He went for a slog, lost his shape, and was clean-bowled by Reece Topley.
Carrying his form, Rohit Sharma looked like a million bucks on the tricky pitch. He was given a life by Phil Salt in the second over as he ran the ball through his hands while fielding at point. Soon after, Rishabh Pant departed as well while trying to flick the ball. Given the nature of the surface, the ball stopped on him, and Pant lobbed the ball to Jonny Bairstow at mid-wicket.
Suryakumar Yadav’s entry changed the match. The two Mumbaikars put on a 73-run stand, playing calculated cricket with the use of power and skills. Whether it be guiding the ball in gaps, playing unorthodox shots, or muscling the ball, the duo did it all. By the time Rohit departed for 57, India was ahead. Surya followed him soon, but the stage was set for hitters to come in.
Hardik Pandya played a superb cameo that took the momentum forward. His two sixes to Chris Jordan meant that despite his dismissal, India was ahead. Spin all-rounders Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja did their bit, scoring 27(15) combined and getting India to 171. The only blemish was Shivam Dube‘s golden duck. His power may have come in handy, but the T20 World Cup hasn’t been his so far.
Indian Cricket
Axar-Kuldeep spin India to victory
Arshdeep Singh started well. He got some early swing and was using his slower ones effectively. In his second over, he went wayward, and England was off to a flying start considering how the pitch was playing. Weirdly, Jasprit Bumrah failed to find his stride in the first over but stormed back to send Phil Salt back on his second try.
Axar Patel proved to be a star with the ball. He got the first wicket, sending in-form Jos Buttler back, who tried to reverse sweep him on the first ball of his spell. Axar only got better from there, getting Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali on the first ball of his second and third overs, respectively.
Another left-arm spinner shined. Kuldeep Yadav took over from Axar. The wrist-spinner got England’s best batter of the day, Harry Brook, and then deceived Sam Curran and Chris Jordan to reduce England to 72/7. The next two batters go to were Liam Livingstone and
Brief Scores
India: 171/7 (Rohit Sharma 57, Suryakumar Yadav 47; Chris Jordan 3/37, Adil Rashid 1/25)
England: 103/10 (Harry Brook 25, Jos Buttler 23; Kuldeep Yadav 3/19, Axar Patel 3/23)
