Summary of this article
India beat England by 7 runs to reach the ICC T20 World CUp 2026 final
Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah produced stellar performances
Men in Blue to face New Zealand in the finale on March 8
Indian wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson is well and truly having the time of his life as he played out a fantastic player of the match winning knock in the 2nd semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 against England. Samson also hailed senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah for his game changing 18th over.
Both Sanju and Bumrah were the most effective players for the Indian team in what was a 3rd consecutive against semi-final against England. While the Kerala-born batter smacked 89 off just 42 to lead India's charge in the 1st innings, the Ahmedabad-born pacer gave away just 33 runs from his 4-over spell in the 2nd.
But it was Sanju Samson's brilliance with the bat that well and truly helped India prevail against this tricky English side. His knock, which included eight 4s and seven 6s, was pivotal in helping India set up the highest total in a T20 World Cup knockout/semi-final match.
Ishan Kishan (39 off 18), Shivam Dube (43 off 25), Hardik Pandya (27 off 12) and Tilak Varma (21 off 7) were the other notable performers.
In the 2nd innings, England had nearly pulled off the highest chase ever in a T20 World Cup knockout match. Jacob Bethell was a major cause of concern for the Indians as the youngster scored a memorable century before getting out for 105 off 48.
At one point it looked like England were running away with the victory, but that's when Jasprit Bumrah proved why he is the best death bowler around the world.
Bowling the all important 18th over when England needed less than 50 runs, Jasprit Bumrah, unbelievably, leaked just 6 runs and stopped the swamp of runs coming from the bat of Jacob Bethell, whose night eventually ended in distraught.
The remaining two overs were bowled by Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube who conceded 9 and 22 runs respectively as India closed the night with a hard-fought, nerve wracking 7-run victory in front of a sea of Indian supporters.
While receiving the player of the match award, Sanju Samson made a selfless admission when asked about Jasprit Bumrah's importance in the team.
The Kerala batter expressed his admiration for Bumrah, claiming the latter should have been adjudged the MVP of the night.
"All credit goes to Jasprit Bumrah. I think the world class bowler, once in a generation bowler, I think that's what he delivered today. This (award) should go to him actually. If we didn't bowl that way in the death overs, I think I would not be standing here." - Sanju Samson told Ian Bishop during the post match presentation.
Ahmedabad Ready For Another World Cup Finale Showdown
This victory marks India's entry to the ICC T20 World Cup final for a record 4th time, which is the most by any nation in the tournament. The Men in Blue will face Mitchell Santner's New Zealand in the finale at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.
