5 Times India And England Gave Cricket Fans A Memory To Cherish

The second semifinals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 will see India and England lock horns for the 23rd time in T20Is. England were the second team to qualify for the knockouts after their hard-fought win against Sri Lanka in their Super 12 match. India qualified automatically after South Africa suffered an upset loss against The Netherlands.

India vs England, on Thursday, will be played in a sold-out Adelaide Oval and is expected to be a cracker of a contest.

Jos Buttler’s England are ranked second in the ICC Men’s T20 Rankings, whereas Rohit Sharma’s India occupy the top spot. 

England finished second in Group 1, whereas India finished first in Group 2.

If these stats aren’t proof enough of the richness of the contest, perhaps the details of their past meetings will provide an insight into how neck-and-neck this rivalry plays out every time the two teams meet.

ICC T20 World Cup – 2007, Durban

It was the inaugural T20 World Cup and England were coming into the match with just one win in four matches; India had the same number of wins in three matches. The game was crucial for both teams to make headway into the competition. 

India won the toss and elected to bat. The Sehwag-Gambhir pair got off to a flyer, scoring 136 runs for the 1st wicket. It was not them, though, that stole the show. It was Yuvraj Singh, and what he accomplished would be spoken about a lot in the years to come. The bowler was Stuart Broad. The TV replays had just shown Yuvraj having an altercation with England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff. The furious southpaw then would send all six deliveries by Broad sailing over the boundary, scoring 36 runs in that over. Yuvraj would go on to set several records, including the record for scoring the fastest T20I half-century off 12 balls, which stands unbroken to this day. Chasing 219, England put on a stupendous fight, only to fall short by 18 runs.

ICC T20 World Cup – 2012, Colombo

In a match dominated by spin bowling, India would rout England in one of the most memorable T20 World Cup matches. MS Dhoni would leave out veterans Sachin, Sehwag and Zaheer, trading them for a much younger-looking playing XI. The team selection did not sit well with the Indian audiences, who predicted India’s loss even before the first ball was bowled. Furthermore, Irfan Pathan would open the innings with Gautam Gambhir, who would perish soon, leaving Kohli (40) and Gambhir (45) to score the runs followed by Rohit Sharma (55) later in the innings. Chasing 171, England saw themselves getting cleaned up for a paltry 80. An emotional Harbhajan Singh (4/12), who was making a comeback into the team and was adjudged the Player of the Match, would call it an important game for himself.

India Tour of England – 2014, Only T20I, Birmingham

Dhoni’s India were the No.1 team in T20Is at the time. England knew they had a challenge on their hands, and would bat first after winning the toss. Riding on captain Eoin Morgan’s 71, England would score 180. Alex Hales’ 25-ball 40 would unsettle the Indian bowlers for the briefest period in the match. Morgan turned up the heat hitting seven sixes in his match-winning performance. This was also probably the match that would haunt India in the coming years, painting them as slow scorers on numerous occasions. With one hand firmly on the trophy, India squandered chances to score quick runs. At the end of the 20th over, Dhoni and Co. would find themselves needing three more runs. India would not only lose the match, but also their No.1 spot in the ICC T20 Team Rankings to Sri Lanka.

India Tour of England – 2018, 3rd T20I, Bristol

In a high-scoring match that saw almost 400 runs scored, India held their nerves to outscore England and take the 3-match T20 series 2-1. After winning the toss, Virat Kohli decided that India would field first, owing to both previous matches having being won by the team chasing. Jason Roy (67) and Jos Buttler (34) would put up a 94-run opening stand, but England batsmen coming in next would show no intent to stop scoring. Hales (30) and Bairstow (25) would score quick runs to propel England to a challenging total of 198/9. Hardik Pandya would be the pick of the bowlers for his 4/38. India were now left with a mountain to climb, and the journey was not smooth. They lost Dhawan and Rahul in quick succession, leaving Rohit and Virat (43) to pile on a partnership. Rohit Sharma would score his third T20I century comprising 11 fours and 5 sixes. Hardik Pandya supported him, scoring a quickfire 14-ball 33. India chased the target with 9 balls to spare.

England Tour of India – 2021, 5th T20I, Ahmedabad

With the T20I series levelled at 2-2, the 5th match promised a cracking contest and it delivered. Eoin Morgan would win the toss and put India to bat in what would be the first instance when viewers watched Rohit and Virat open an innings in T20. They scored 94 in 9 overs, before Sharma fell after a well-made 64. Virat Kohli would continue his dominant show, scoring 80 off 52 balls. Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya chipped in with 30+ scores each to post a staggering 224/2. In reply, England would lose Jason Roy off the second ball of the innings, but see a 130-run partnership between Buttler (52) and Malan (68). With England batters cruising towards the total, Shardul Thakur (3/45) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/15) stepped up to restrict England to 188 runs.