Mumbai, March 5 (NationPress) In a thrilling encounter, Jacob Bethell struck a spectacular century, yet his efforts were overshadowed as India capitalized on exceptional death bowling from Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. This performance secured a narrow seven-run victory for the hosts in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Semifinal 2 at Wankhede Stadium, propelling them to their second consecutive final.

Bethell reached fifty in just 19 balls and a century in 45 balls, keeping England's hopes alive as they required 45 runs from the last 19 balls to chase down India's formidable score of 253/7, bolstered by a brilliant 89 from Sanju Samson.

Bumrah delivered an outstanding 18th over, allowing only six runs, while Pandya followed suit, conceding nine runs and claiming the pivotal wicket of Sam Curran, causing the English innings to unravel.

In the final, India will face New Zealand in Ahmedabad, aiming to defend their title successfully. India becomes the first team to reach the final as defending champions, marking their fourth appearance in the T20 World Cup finals—the most by any team in tournament history.

Chasing a demanding target of 254, England began aggressively, racing to 68 runs in the power-play overs but losing three crucial wickets, including captain Harry Brook, who had previously scored a century against Pakistan in the Super 8 match.

Phil Salt (5) was the first casualty, caught by Axar Patel off a delivery from Pandya. England's score quickly dropped to 13/1, then to 38/2 after Brook fell to a magnificent catch by Patel off Bumrah, marking the Indian pace spearhead's 500th international wicket.

With the crowd chanting Ganapati Bappa Moriya, Jeetaga bhai jeetega, and Vande Mataram, Varun Chakravarthy bowled Jos Buttler (25 off 17 balls, 4x4, 1x6) with a deceptive googly, reducing England to 64/3.

Bethell continued his aggressive approach, scoring his fifty in 19 balls, with three fours and five sixes. He launched into Bumrah and Chakravarthy, propelling England past the century mark and maintaining the pressure on India.

Tom Banton struck consecutive sixes off Patel before falling for 17 off five balls, leaving England at 95/5, yet the run-scoring persisted as the remaining batters aimed for quick runs despite losing wickets.

Bethell remained the lone warrior, adding 77 runs for the fifth wicket with Will Jacks, who contributed 35 runs off 20 balls. Bethell's partnership with Sam Curran brought England past 200 in the 17th over, with Bethell hitting 16 runs in one over from Arshdeep Singh.

As they approached the final overs, England required 45 runs. Bumrah's exceptional bowling in the 18th over, yielding only six runs, kept India's hopes alive. Bethell reached his century off 45 balls with a six off Pandya, his innings featuring 8 fours and 7 sixes. Pandya's crucial breakthrough came when he dismissed Curran, leaving England needing 30 runs from the last six balls.

India opted for Shivam Dube to bowl the decisive over, and they sealed victory as Bethell was run out on the first ball, ending England's hopes despite Jofra Archer's late heroics.

Match Summary:

India: 253/7 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 89, Shivam Dube 43, Ishan Kishan 39; Will Jacks 2-40, Adil Rashid 2-41) defeated England: 246/7 in 20 overs (Jacob Bethell 105, Will Jacks 35; Hardik Pandya 2-38, Jasprit Bumrah 1-33, Axar Patel 1-35) by seven runs.