India cruises into T20 World Cup Semi-Final

Captain Rohit Sharma’s 92 off just 41 balls helped his team reach an enormous 205 for 5 and led India into the Twenty20 World Cup semifinals with a 24-run win against Australia at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St. Lucia.

Australia’s Captain Mitch Marsh won the toss and India was sent in to bat first.

Sharma scored his half-century off just 19 balls and finished with eight sixes and seven fours and set the tone for his team.

Virat Kohli was out for his second duck in the tournament, caught at midwicket off a Josh Hazlewood short ball.

Suryakumar Yadav with 31, Shivam Dube with 28 and Hardik Pandya with 27 supported to give India their joint highest total against Australia in men’s T20 World Cup history.

Travis Head kept Australia in the hunt with an astonishing 76 off 43 balls, but his teammates were taken down by spinners Kuldeep Yadav (2-24) and Axar Patel (1-21) to be restricted at 181-7.

David Warner was taken in Arshdeep Singh’s (3-37) first over. Head and Marsh (37) then joined forces with an 81-run partnership, second-wicket off eight overs.

Marsh was caught by Patel, and Yadav clean-bowled Glenn Maxwell for 20 in the 14th over. Marcus Stoinis was caught by Panya also in the 14th over.

Head was deceived by Jasprit Bumrah’s slow ball in the 16th over and Australia’s hope faded.

India closed the Super Eight with three wins from three matches, and will take on Group 2 runner-up England in the second semifinal.

Players of India celebrate the dismissal of Australia’s David Warner during an ICC T20 World Cup cricket match at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia on Monday, June 24, 2024.AP Photo/ Ramon Espinosa

In their first Super Eight game, India made a bright start after Suryakumar Yadav carved a magnificent half-century and their bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah, carrried them to a 47-run win against Afghanistan at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

After deciding to bat, Yadav made 53 from 28 balls smacking five fours and three sixes to earn the Player-of-the-Match award and helped the Indians to a respectable 181 for eight from their allocated 20 overs in the opening Group One match .

Bumrah produced remarkable figures of three for seven from his four overs and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh supported with three for 36 from four overs, as Afghanistan were bowled out for 134 off their 20 overs in reply.

In India’s second Super Eight game against Bangladesh, Hardik Pandya blasted a 27-ball half-century and Kuldeep Yadav’s three wickets finished off India’s win at 196-5 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

Pandya struck four fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 50 while Yadav then took 3-19 in four overs to limit Bangladesh to 146-8.

With two wins from two matches India moved to the top of Group 1 in the Super Eight stage.

Put into bat, India started quick as captain Rohit Sharma scored 23 off 11 balls. Virat Kohli added 37 off 28, hitting three sixes. The duo put on 39 off 22 balls for India’s best opening stand in the tournament.

Sharma was caught in the fourth over off Shakib al Hasan, while Kohli put on another 32 off 27 balls with Rishabh Pant for the second wicket.

Tanzim Hasan Sakib struck twice in the ninth over, getting Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav for 6 as India slumped to 77-3.

But Rishabh Pant anchored one end with 36 off 24, including four fours and two sixes, putting on 31 off 19 balls with Shivam Dube.

Pant was dismissed in the 12th over but Dube kept the momentum as he hit three sixes, scoring 34 off 24 balls.

Pandya took charge and India scored 62 runs in the last five overs. Pandya was named player of the match.

Bangladesh’s reply made a steady start. Openers Litton Das (13) and Tanzid Hasan (29) added 35 off 27 until Pandya got the breakthrough in the fifth over.

At 66-2 in the 10th over and then Yadav came on to bowl he trapped Hasan lbw, dismissed Towhid Hridoy for 4 and claimed the big wicket of Shakib for 11.

Bangladesh didn’t recover after that.

Pace bowlers Jasprit Bumrah (2-13) and Arshdeep Singh (2-30) helped to seal India’s fifth win over Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup.