Brief Results: India (253/7 in 20 overs) beat England (246/7 in 20 overs) by 7 runs in Mumbai to reach the T20 World Cup final.
India posted 253. England replied with 246. And yes, this was the semi-final of the T20 World Cup. It was also a reminder of how far the power hitting ceiling has risen in the modern game. It wasn’t that long ago that playoff games rarely crossed the 180-point mark. However, two of the game’s most explosive batting units engaged in a breathtaking slugfest at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday night, where the bowlers endured a punishing evening, before India swept past white-ball powerhouse England to set up a title clash with New Zealand in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
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IND vs ENG T20 WORLD CUP 2026: MAIN | SCORECARD
India amassed 253 – the highest total ever in a T20 World Cup knockout match – turning the semi-final into a spectacle long before the chase had even begun. On a night when batters were burning for skin, Silk Sanju Samson 89 and an unsurprisingly miserly Jasprit Bumrah sealed the deal for India.
England certainly felt the pinch when Jacob Bethell, just 22, produced the innings of his life. The left-hander smashed a stunning 48-ball 105 to keep England alive in the chase to the final. With 30 needed off the last six balls, the equation was steep but not impossible – as long as Bethell stayed at the wicket. But England’s hopes were dashed on the very first delivery of the over when Bethell ran out. The edges can be so thin in Maximum City. At that moment, a hint of a smile appeared on Gautam Gambhir’s face, just a hint before India secured a 7-run win.
NO WHERE TO HIDE
For England’s bowlers, the normally expansive Wankhede suddenly felt like a cramped 1RK in Andheri – there was simply nowhere to hide. Each over brought another boundary, another towering six and another reminder that the night belonged to India.
When it was England’s turn to respond, the chase felt like a frenzied brawl at Dadar station during rush hour. The pressure on the board meant they had to try to board the local train whether they were fully prepared or not. The doors were closing, the engine was already roaring, and the only option was to run alongside and try to jump in before it picked up too much speed. England kept pace for a while, even threatened to grab the handle, but gradually the train started moving.
England tried. They tried their best to stay in the hunt. Jacob Bethell almost single-handedly carried a batting unit that lost its superstars Harry Brook and Jose Buttler cheaply. By the time England had slipped to 95 for 4, they had got there in just 7.3 overs and were refusing to be carried away by the chase.
Bethell found support in Will Jacks and together they stitched together a 77-run stand in just 39 balls, briefly threatening to compete for a mammoth target. The pair went hard against India’s spin-spear Varun Chakravarthy, who endured a rare memorable outing on a night when even the best bowlers found little room for error.
They could have avoided a frantic finish if they had been tidier on the field. England spilled some key chances, including Sanju Samson on 15. In the end, a seven-run margin was painfully within reach.
SIMPLE BOWLING MANTRA
But that is what the Indian bowling unit has adapted to.
“As long as our batsmen are happy to score, we are happy to do the dirty work. First, we enjoy their batting. Then we try to defend the total,” said Arshdeep Singh, neatly summing up the simple philosophy that has fueled India’s white-ball revival.
It may sound outrageous, but on the batting-friendly Wankhede pitch in the middle of the modern T20 era, there is no point being hard on yourself as a bowler. The runs will flow. The only task is to keep your nerve and stay in the fight.
England’s counter-attack briefly made the chase look realistic, but deep down many – perhaps even in the England camp – seemed to know that Mount 254 was too steep to conquer.
Indian bowlers have done enough. They didn’t blow England away on a dewy evening, but they kept attacking at the right moments and ensured the required rate never really loosened their grip.
With the 7-run win, India reached the final of the Men’s T20 World Cup for the fourth time in history.
Watching it all from the corporate boxes at the Wankhede Stadium was Rohit Sharma – the man who led India to glory two years ago. He must have been a proud observer as the team, built on an aggressive white-ball revolution he spearheaded, outclassed the very England side that had once broken his heart in Adelaide.
The image of Rohit buried in his cap and head coach Rahul Dravid trying to comfort him remains a haunting memory for many Indian fans. He avenged that defeat in 2024. But seeing India thrash England so emphatically with the bat must have brought its own quiet satisfaction.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
05 March 2026 22:58 IST
