(Image source from: Businesstoday.in)

On an exciting night filled with excitement and 499 runs scored in 40 overs, which included 34 sixes, India secured their place in the T20 World Cup final happening on Sunday. This achievement was thanks to Sanju Samson's impressive performance in his second consecutive match and a brilliant display from the reliable Jasprit Bumrah. However, they faced an unforgettable innings from the talented Jacob Bethell, who made 105 runs off 48 balls, keeping England fighting hard during their chase in Mumbai. With a massive target of 254 runs to achieve, after Samson delivered a crucial 97 not out against the West Indies and followed it up with another powerful innings of 89 from 42 balls, England struggled initially, losing three wickets during the powerplay. As the match progressed, they fell out of the competition while India's bowlers remained calm in the final overs, leaving England needing an unlikely 30 runs from the last over. Ultimately, it was the small moments on the field that made a significant impact. While Harry Brook made a major mistake by dropping a catch in the third over, letting Samson off the hook when he was on 15, which left his bowler, Jofra Archer, feeling frustrated, India’s defense shone with two extraordinary efforts from Axar Patel. The first, at deep cover, demonstrated how to catch well, bringing Brook's innings to an end after just 7 runs from six balls; the second, at deep backward point, was an amazing relay catch to stop an uppercut from England’s standout player, Will Jacks, whose partnership of 77 runs with Bethell for the fifth wicket had given England a solid opportunity as they neared the last six overs.

Suryakumar Yadav mentioned that he would have chosen to bat first if he had won the toss, though this seemed like a bluff, considering the strong statistics against it. For 13 straight matches in T20 World Cup knockout stages, no team batting first has won, dating back to Sri Lanka's win over West Indies in the 2014 semi-final. However, by the end of a 67-run powerplay, it became clear what was coming. Samson entered the match facing a challenging situation against Archer, having been dismissed three times for just 23 runs in 25 previous T20I deliveries. However, he also carried the confidence from his winning performance in the last match. He barely needed any assistance to elevate his innings. Still, Brook provided it. It’s hard to imagine a more significant blunder than the one England's captain made at mid-on during Archer’s second over. Samson had already taken advantage of Archer's shorter deliveries, hitting two fours and a six in his first six balls, when Archer tried a fuller ball and induced a mishit at a catchable height. It was a simple catch by any standards, and Brook's expression showed his remorse—first when the ball slipped through his hands, and then again when Samson smashed Archer over the leg side two balls later.

At that moment, Abhishek Sharma’s inactive season had already been prolonged, as Jacks hit two powerful boundaries and then made a mistake that sent the ball to deep midwicket in his first over. This meant that England avoided repeating their earlier struggle of bowling first at the Wankhede from 13 months ago, but it seemed as if they had not learned anything from that experience. Archer left the game with figures of 0 for 26 in two overs and was replaced by Jamie Overton, who bowled too full all night, and later by Sam Curran, whose variations did not help either. Samson was in such good form that he wasn’t fooled by the slower delivery, and he confidently hit it over mid-off.

However, the second blunder in England's fielding effort was still ahead. With two aggressive batsmen eager to take on the spin, Liam Dawson's entry in the eighth over seemed like a strategy with many flaws. Ishan Kishan and Samson each hit a six during a 19-run assault, making Dawson nearly ineffective for the first time in his T20I career. From that moment on, the gloves were off. Curran returned to bowl from the other end but was hit hard, conceding 20 runs. With India at 112 for 1 after nine overs, the pressure had lifted from their batsmen. Kishan hit one final boundary before misplaying Adil Rashid’s delivery to long-off for 39 off 18 balls, only for Shivam Dube to come in and hit two massive sixes over long-on in the legspinner’s third over. Archer’s return for a rare mid-innings spell showed England's desperation. Yet, Samson was focused solely on hitting boundaries, ignoring his potential milestones. He ramped up his scoring, reaching the 80s with two more sixes, bringing his total to seven, until Jacks threw a wide length ball that caused him to make a mistake, leading to a catch at deep cover. Since India's must-win match in Kolkata on Sunday night began, Samson had smashed a total of 186 runs off 92 balls.

England’s only moment of real success came in the 18th over when Curran wrapped up his tough outing with an impressive collection of yorkers. Still, he allowed 12 runs, as Dube hit his fourth six before being deceived by Hardik Pandya, who lost grip of his bat during a big swing, resulting in Tom Banton dropping the catch at long-on. Archer’s last over was not of the same quality; he finished with disappointing statistics of 1 for 61, as Tilak Varma hit three sixes in four balls before accidentally hitting the ball onto his stumps for the most unfortunate wicket of the evening. Following that, Hardik took control of the game against Jacks, hitting two final sixes over the leg side to lead India to a total past 250.

The positive development for England was that Phil Salt sent the first delivery of their chase flying through fine leg for four runs, and Jos Buttler also made it to the boundary for the first time in six innings, with a strong shot over the covers just two balls later.

The disappointing aspect for England was that the bowler delivering these balls was not Jasprit Bumrah, but Arshdeep Singh. India had decided to hold back their most dangerous bowler and see what they could achieve before bringing him in. Hardik followed through with an opening ball that swung away, which Salt could only manage to hit to cover, finishing his struggle with just 5 runs off three balls. When Bumrah finally came on for the fifth over, it was a moment of brilliance. A first delivery that cut back caught Brook off guard, leading him to hit an easy catch to extra cover. But the best part was Axar making a spectacular full-length dive to catch it while looking over his shoulder. Bumrah then went back into the shadows after getting Suryakumar out, not to be seen until the 11th over and then tucked away again until the 16th, by which point an eight-run over felt like a treasure. His perfectly aimed yorker to Curran was met with one of the loudest cheers of the lively evening.

Despite England's determination not to give in, with still 45 runs needed off 18 balls, Bumrah had to return. His series of flawless yorkers only allowed four singles and a two, leaving England in a position where they had to score two consecutive overs of 20 runs each. That was the turning point in the game. Bumrah’s removal of Brook was a well-targeted blow, but Bethell came in with confidence. He quieted the Wankhede crowd's "Boom Boom" cheers with a powerful second-ball pull for six over fine leg. He then greeted Varun Chakravarthy with three more successive hits, going over long-on, long-off, and deep third, showcasing his all-around batting skills like raising a flag. However, in that same over, England lost their third wicket in the powerplay, another crucial player. Buttler, despite having a rough time, showed some signs of life as he continued to struggle with his timing on several attempts to hit across the line. For the third consecutive innings at Wankhede, he made it to the 20s with a strike rate of 150 before quickly throwing it away, this time with a careless stroke against Varun's googly.

Surprisingly, England finished the powerplay with one run ahead - 68 to 67 - but with three wickets gone, it was obvious that they were struggling between getting runs and keeping wickets. Banton understood the situation, smashing Axar's first two balls straight down the field for six runs each, but he ruined the momentum by swinging at a higher delivery and getting caught. However, Bethell continued to put pressure on Varun, hitting two fours in a row to help England reach their hundred in the ninth over. His first Test century in Sydney had shown incredible talent and smart shot choices; this excellent performance was everything he had given up to achieve that innings and more. The restraint he had demonstrated earlier in January when facing off deliveries on the off side had evolved into a full range of batting skills. Before scoring his ODI century against South Africa last summer, he had never made a professional century. Now, he’s part of a rare group with centuries in all three formats. One thing is clear, this won't be the last time the Wankhede crowd sees him.