Sanju Samson was adjudged the Player of the Match for his knock of 89 runs off just 42 balls. Despite losing his opening partner Abhishek Sharma early, the keeper-batter managed to keep the scoreboard ticking and launched a scathing attack on the England bowlers. He set the momentum for the middle order batters capitalise and they did it in style, helping India post 253 runs on the board in the first innings.
Chasing a mammoth total, England lost Phil Salt and Harry Brook early, but Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell kept the team in the hunt. After Buttler walked back to the pavilion, Bethell took over the responsibility and played an innings of a lifetime. He smacked 105 runs in 48 balls and with that, England were alive in the competition till the very end but he failed to take the team home.
How Bumrah changed the game
The key reason behind that was India’s impeccable bowling in the death overs. Bowling the 16th and the 18th over, ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah conceded just eight and six runs, respectively, bringing India back into the contest. Those two overs were extremely vital as India went on to win the game by just seven runs. Even Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh nailed their final overs, helping the Men in Blue get the job done.
After the game, Samson spoke about how Burmah turned the tables and added that the pacer deserved the Player of the Match award for his superb effort.
“Very happy how the team turned up today and 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. I think this should go to him actually. So I think if we didn’t bowl that way in the death overs, I think I would not be standing here. All credit goes to the bowlers, how they backed themselves in the tough conditions,” Samson said in the post-match presentation.
India will now play New Zealand in the finals of the T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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