India's spin dominance crushes England, set for T20 World Cup final

India's journey to the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 was sealed with a commanding 68-run victory over England in the semi-final clash held at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday.

Chasing a target of 172 runs set by India, England got off to a promising start with 26 runs in the first three overs without losing a wicket. However, their momentum was dented early when Jos Buttler fell to Axar Patel in the fourth over.

From there, England struggled to recover as Jasprit Bumrah's dismissal of Phil Salt further hindered their progress. India's spinners continued to dominate, with Jonny Bairstow (0 off 3), Moeen Ali (8 off 10), Sam Curran (2 off 4), and Liam Livingstone (11 off 16) failing to make substantial contributions.

Harry Brook fought back with a spirited 25 off 19 balls, but Kuldeep Yadav dismissed him to further dent England's hopes. Jofra Archer's brisk 21 off 14 balls provided some resistance, but it wasn't enough as England's innings folded for 103 runs in 16.4 overs.

Earlier, India had a shaky start as Virat Kohli (9 runs) and Rishabh Pant (4 runs) departed early. However, Rohit Sharma (57 runs) and Suryakumar Yadav (47 runs) steadied the ship with a crucial partnership of 73 runs. Rohit Sharma's half-century was a highlight before he was dismissed by Adil Rashid.

Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Hardik Pandya's quickfire 23 off 13 balls and contributions from Ravindra Jadeja (17 off 9) and Axar Patel (10 off 6) propelled India to a competitive total of 171 runs.

For England, Chris Jordan was the most successful bowler with three wickets, while Adil Rashid, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, and Reece Topley claimed one wicket each.

India's victory sets up a highly anticipated final against South Africa on Saturday, June 29 in Barbados, promising an exciting conclusion to the T20 World Cup 2024.