Men in Blue overcome semifinal bogey in a nervy encounter

India triumphs over England in a thrilling semifinal, showcasing improved fielding ahead of the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand.

Semifinals, the penultimate hurdle in a competition, can be the most taxing of endeavours. The need to be in the ‘here’ and ‘now’, and not to think about the impending final, is the first challenge. Second is the fear that all the hard work leading up to this moment, could be undone against a strong rival or an unfancied opposition.

India has had a love-hate equation with the last-four stage, especially in ICC events organised at home. In the 50-over World Cups, be it 1987 or 1996, the host fell in the semifinals. A similar fate awaited in the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup.

However, in the 2011 ODI World Cup, M.S. Dhoni’s men won the trophy. But in 2023, the summit clash against Australia proved fatal.

Now, Suryakumar Yadav’s men get another chance to seize an ICC silverware in their backyard. On Thursday (March 5, 2026), the semifinal bogey was dealt with, albeit nervously, against England in the T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

In a battle of runs, there were 34 sixes, India wrested a seven-run win. Overall, 499 runs were scored, and within this big picture, India kept finding heroes.

If in setting the target, Sanju Samson (89) was the force-multiplier, Shivam Dube and Tilak Varma also played a vital hand. When it was India’s turn to defend, there was always the masterly skill of constriction and extraction that Jasprit Bumrah excels in.