India thump England to reach T20 World Cup final
:India thumped defending champions England by 68 runs in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup on Thursday to book their place in Saturday's final against South Africa.
Put into bat in the rain-hit match at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, 2007 champions India posted 171 for seven with skipper Rohit Sharma (57) and Suryakumar Yadav (47) scoring bulk of the runs on a slow track.
England were all out for 103 in the 17th over, never really recovering from a top-order collapse and surrendering to India's spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed three wickets apiece.
Rain and a wet outfield delayed start of the match and England captain Jos Buttler elected to field after winning the toss.
India managed 46 runs from the six power-play overs and it cost them the wickets of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant.
Rohit began with a couple of streaky shots but soon grew in confidence.
Suryakumar, at the other end, scooped Chris Jordan over fine leg in what has been his trademark shot for a six before rain stopped play with India 65-2 in eight overs.
Once play resumed more than an hour later, Rohit reached his 36-ball fifty with a six, which also brought up India's 100 in the 13th over.
Adil Rashid bowled Rohit and Jofra Archer denied Suryakumar a fifty to temporarily peg back India.
Jordan (3-37) dismissed Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube with successive deliveries but India still managed to post a competitive total.
England began briskly but were reeling at 49-5 after a top order meltdown triggered by Axar (3-23).
The left-arm spinner dismissed Buttler (23) with his first ball and removed Jonny Bairstow for a duck in his next over.
In between, Phil Salt had his leg stump pegged back by Jasprit Bumrah.
Player-of-the-match Axar returned