NEW DELHI: India legend Sunil Gavaskar lavished praise on vice-captain Axar Patel for his breathtaking fielding display in India’s nerve-wracking T20 World Cup semifinal win over England at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Gavaskar even compared Axar’s impact in the field to that of Ravindra Jadeja, saying the all-rounder has stepped up to fill the void left by one of India’s greatest fielders.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India had earlier piled up a mammoth 253/7, powered by a blistering knock from Sanju Samson. England’s chase, however, threatened to derail India’s hopes as Jacob Bethell produced a sensational century to keep his side firmly in the contest.

But Axar’s brilliance in the field repeatedly halted England’s momentum.The first moment of magic came early in the chase when Jasprit Bumrah deceived Harry Brook with a slower delivery. Brook miscued the shot high over cover, and Axar sprinted back nearly 24 metres before diving forward to complete a stunning catch inches above the turf.ALSO READ: Axar Patel picks tougher of his two ‘out of this world’ catches — Watch & choose yours“Axar Patel’s catch to dismiss Harry Brook was unbelievable. Brook can take the game away and you have to grab every chance to get his wicket and Axar did that,” Gavaskar said while speaking on JioHotstar.“He ran 24 meters away from his fielding spot, kept his eyes on the ball, balanced himself and took the catch. Unbelievable stuff.”Axar wasn’t done yet. Later in the innings, when Will Jacks threatened to push England closer to the daunting target alongside Bethell, Axar produced another moment of brilliance. Chasing a sliced shot toward deep point, he ran hard across the turf, grabbed the ball while losing balance near the boundary rope and cleverly relayed it to Shivam Dube, who completed the catch.“He also played a key role in Will Jacks’ dismissal. The Bethell-Jacks partnership was taking the game away. But Axar ran to his left, grabbed the ball and smartly passed it to Shivam Dube,” Gavaskar added.Gavaskar believes Axar’s rise as a complete cricketer mirrors the impact Jadeja once had for India.“With his batting and bowling, Axar is going to be one of India’s great players. We had Ravindra Jadeja before him and Axar is filling that void well,” he said.

England captain Harry Brook speaks with Sam Curran and Jos Buttler. (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: England captain Harry Brook admitted that costly fielding lapses — including a dropped catch of Sanju Samson — played a decisive role in his side’s defeat to India in the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Thursday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Speaking during the post-match presentation, Brook conceded that England misread the conditions and failed to execute their plans, particularly in the field, allowing India to post a daunting total.

“We thought there might have been hold, spin in the first innings, slid onto the bat nicely, and India batted well. I’ll hold my hands up and admit I made a big mistake dropping Samson. We weren’t good enough in the field. We misexecuted, and can’t afford to do that against India,” Brook said.The turning point came when Brook dropped Samson while the Indian batter was on just 15. The chance, off the bowling of Jofra Archer, proved extremely costly as Samson went on to anchor India’s innings with a commanding knock.Samson’s blistering 89 off 42 balls powered India to a formidable 253/7, a total that eventually proved just out of England’s reach.

“Yeah, catches win matches, don’t they? Unfortunately, it didn’t stay in my hands and yeah, it’s just one of those things. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch it and he played a very, very good innings as well and arguably won them the game,” Brook said.The England skipper admitted that the missed opportunity stayed on his mind throughout the chase.“Obviously, it’s in the back of your mind as the game goes on. I kept on looking at the scoreboard and he was piling the runs on. I was like, ‘I’m going to have to get an 80 or 90 tonight.’ Not ideal, but it’s happened now,” he added.Despite the defeat, Brook found positives in England’s spirited chase, particularly praising young batter Jacob Bethell for his fearless century.Bethell smashed 105 off just 48 balls, while Will Jacks contributed 35 during a counter-attacking partnership that briefly revived England’s hopes.“Bethell was absolutely unbelievable, he’ll earn some serious money. To see him taking it from ball one showed the world what he can do,” Brook said.England eventually finished on 246/7, falling agonisingly short despite Bethell’s heroics and a late blitz from Archer. Brook, however, insisted his side could still take pride in their campaign.“We had a good tournament; we should be extremely proud of how we played. We stuck to it the whole game; unfortunately, we were on the wrong side,” he said.

Team India (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

TimesofIndia.com in Mumbai: 40 overs, 499 runs, 34 sixes, a last-over finish and the entire Wankhede Stadium on its feet singing “Maa Tujhe Salaam” in unison. One could not have asked for a more entertaining game of T20 cricket as India held their nerves to beat England by just seven runs and set a date with New Zealand in the summit clash of the 2026 T20 World Cup.The hosts had long yearned for a perfect game in the tournament. While this win too was far from it, it was enough for India to reach their fourth straight white-ball final. The bowlers had the cushion of runs and even when they leaked plenty, their early intent to look for wickets, something they could not do against the West Indies in Kolkata, was evident.Varun Chakravarthy was creamed for three sixes by Jacob Bethell but he responded by taking Jos Buttler’s wicket. Axar Patel was dispatched for back-to-back sixes by Tom Banton but the wily customer had the last laugh, taking the right-hander’s wicket off the third delivery. Before the emphatic response by the two spinners, India broke England’s back during the powerplay of the huge chase by picking three wickets: Phil Salt, Harry Brook and Jos Buttler.

Hardik Pandya struck off the first delivery of his spell and Jasprit Bumrah did the same. The two demonstrated their experience. The former achieved good movement in his first over while Bumrah stunned Brook with a slower ball, and then Axar took a blinder to dismiss the England skipper. When it looked like India were firmly in command, Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks, England’s best cricketer in this tournament, combined to put India under pressure. But even as England got close, it was wickets that kept India in control. Another one came just when they badly needed it and it again took a spectacular effort from Axar and Shivam Dube.Arshdeep was reintroduced to break the momentum after the spinners lacked control and the left-armer bowled three wides on the trot. His last legal delivery was set to go for at least a boundary before Axar pulled off another stunning effort, with Shivam Dube completing the relay catch to get the Wankhede roaring again.

Bethell special

The pitch was a paradise for batting and while every bowler struggled to contain the batters, Varun’s meek surrender raised significant concerns. Throughout his four-over spell, the mystery spinner lacked control and penetration, consistently erring with shorter lengths. The true bounce allowed batters to comfortably sit back on the back foot and muscle deliveries into the stands without course correction. He leaked 64 runs from four overs, his most expensive outing in the format and the second most expensive in the tournament’s history.

Jacob Bethell of England celebrates reaching his century during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Semi-Final match between India and England at Wankhede Stadium on March 05, 2026 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)

With Bethell keeping England hanging by a thread, the required run rate boiled down to 61 from the last four overs. With two southpaws in the middle, India made the bold call to bowl Arshdeep early. While he kept things quiet initially, he conceded a six and a boundary off the last two deliveries, resulting in 45 runs needed from the last three overs.Arshdeep was reintroduced to break some momentum after spinners lacked control and after the left-armer bowled three wides on the trot, his last legal delivery was set to go for at least a boundary before Axar pulled off another stunning catch, with a neat assist from Shivam Dube, to get the Wankhede roaring again. The pitch was a dream to bat on and while every bowler struggled to contain the batters, Varun’s meek surrender raises significant concerns.Throughout his four-over spell, the mystery spinner lacked control and penetration, consistently erring with shorter lengths. The true bounce allowed batters to comfortably sit back on the back-foot and muscle deliveries into the stands, without course correction. He leaked 64 runs from four overs – his most expensive outing in the format and the second most in the tournament’s history. With Bethell keeping England hanging by a thread, the required run rate boiled down to 61 from last four overs. With two left-handers in the middle, India made the bold call to bowl Arshdeep early. While he kept things quiet initially, he conceded a six and a boundary off the last two deliveries, resulting in 45 runs from the last three overs.

Magical Bumrah

Then came the over that could well have decided which way the match was headed as Surya threw his last roll of the dice and handed Bumrah the ball to bowl the 18th over. And he delivered.

Jasprit Bumrah of India celebrates the run out of Jacob Bethell of England during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Semi-Final match between India and England at Wankhede Stadium on March 05, 2026 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)

Six deliveries around the toes resulted in only six runs, making the equation 39 off the last two overs. Hardik was on top of his mark to bowl the crucial over. Even after conceding a six off the first ball, he took the wicket of Sam Curran and ended the over with a dot, leaving Shivam Dube 30 runs to defend off the last six balls.Wankhede was on its feet. A mini conference was underway between Dube, Hardik and Surya and the tension was palpable. Centurion Bethell was on strike and his first hit went straight to Pandya, patrolling the long-off. England needed Bethell at the strike and the youngster tried to steal a second but Pandya’s rocket arm caught the 22-year-old short, ending England’s hope. Archer kept the scoreboard interesting with three sixes but it was too late as England fell short by seven runs.

Another Samson masterclass

The 14th over of the Indian innings was the only one in which England did not concede a boundary. On an evening when many boundaries and sixes were hit, Will Jacks’ third over was an anomaly. Boundaries and sixes flew thick and fast in the overs bowled around the off-spinner as India, riding on another Sanju Samson masterclass, demolished England by posting a mammoth total, batting them out of the game before they even came out to bat.

Sanju Samson of India bats watched by England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Semi-Final match between India and England at Wankhede Stadium on March 05, 2026 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)

The bounce was true and with nothing happening off the surface or in the air, India feasted with a clinical batting display. It was Samson again who put on a real show of attractive strokeplay to score back-to-back half-centuries. If the unbeaten 97 in the stiff chase against West Indies at the Eden Gardens was a picture of calm, the 89 at Wankhede had domination written all over it. He never looked to slow down, even when Abhishek Sharma threw his wicket away to Jacks’ off-spin, and the manner in which he took down the predictable Jofra Archer was pure class.Samson did get a reprieve on 15 when Harry Brook dropped a dolly at mid-on off Jofra Archer’s bowling, but he made the most of it and from there onwards played a chanceless knock.England played the matchups card well but the bowlers’ execution was far from satisfactory. All of them had an economy rate in double digits, with Archer leaking 61 runs in his four overs.The 30-year-old kept digging in short to Samson, who came well prepared and stood deep in his crease to counter the extra bounce. The only occasion when the right-armer went a bit full brought an opportunity, but Harry Brook missed the sitter, handing the in-form Samson an early life. Samson then added 74 runs from the next 35 deliveries he faced.India were cruising and Wankhede was roaring. The chants of “Sanju Samson” grew louder with every big hit and Ishan Kishan ensured the momentum did not dip from the other end as he smashed an 18-ball 39. When the dangerous southpaw was dismissed in the tenth over, India controlled the situation at 117/2. Since spin was expected to play a part, they demoted Surya and sent Shivam Dube to pile on more misery on the opposition.

Dube did not disappoint. Even after Samson was dismissed 11 short of a well-deserved hundred, he aced his role to perfection by using his long levers to full effect and kept 250 within reach. For Surya, it was another ordinary outing in a knockout or must-win fixture of a multilateral tournament but Hardik Pandya covered up for the Indian skipper’s early departure as both he, and, later, Tilak Varma played strong cameos to push the side over the 250-run mark.India’s innings mirrored their training session two days before the match as the batters operated with significant intent. The Men in Blue hit 19 sixes and the sixathon made them the only side in men’s T20 history to have six totals in excess of 250 in the format. India have already hit 88 sixes in the tournament, the most in a single edition, and they are set to flirt with the century mark when they take the field in the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.Brief score:India: 253 for seven in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 89, Shivam Dube 43, Ishan Kishan 39; Will Jacks 2/40, Adil Rashid 2/41).England: 246 for 7 in 20 overs (Jacob Bethell 105; Jasprit Bumrah 1/33, Hardik Pandya 2/38).

Abhishek Sharma (Pic credit: BCCI)

Back at the Wankhede, Team India opener will hope to rediscover fearless touch at the venue where he smashed 135 vs England last yearMUMBAI: Given the way Abhishek Sharma punished everything bowled at him in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, he was tipped to light up the tournament. It also meant opposition teams went the extra mile to probe for chinks in his armour.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Barring the Zimbabwe game — where the left-hander struck a half-century — rivals have largely succeeded in keeping him quiet. His scores read 0, 0, 0, 15, 55 and 10. Yet the team management have shown faith in the 25-year-old, backing him despite his visible dip in confidence. With the semifinal against England on Thursday at the Wankhede Stadium, changes in the starting XI look unlikely.

India trained in full strength on Tuesday, with players spending considerable time across the four nets at the venue. Abhishek was the last among the playing XI batters to pad up, facing mostly net bowlers, with Arshdeep Singh and Tilak Varma the only regulars to bowl at him. He faced a leg-spinner, two off-spinners — operating from both sides of the crease and bowling back of a length — and a couple of right-arm pacers.The Sunrisers Hyderabad opener focused on playing as straight as possible, a routine he has adopted after his early struggles in the tournament. His six dismissals so far show a clear pattern. Teams have tried to block his scoring zones, cramp him for room and take pace off the ball.Against Pakistan, Netherlands and West Indies, he fell to spinners firing in back-of-a-length darts into middle and leg, keeping the ball out of his arc as he attempted to pull or hoick towards the leg side. Against South Africa and Zimbabwe, slower deliveries from pacers deceived him, resulting in miscued shots.A high-risk approach carries its own perils and altering it overnight is never easy. However, there were signs of adjustment during his 30-ball 55 against Zimbabwe — the second slowest fifty of his T20I career — where he showed greater intent to play with a straight bat.Off-spinners Salman Agha and Aryan Dutt have troubled him, so it will be interesting to see if England use Will Jacks early, even though India have tried to balance their left-heavy top order with the inclusion of Sanju Samson.For Abhishek, the immediate challenge will be to shelve the pull shot against spinners in the early stages and devise a plan for back-of-length deliveries. He could, for instance, take a leaf out of Samson’s playbook against West Indies — creating room to cut square of the wicket or stepping inside the line to access the leg side. Experts believe he should trust his natural instincts but give himself time at the crease before shifting gears.Just over a year ago, Abhishek hammered a 54-ball 135 — his highest T20I score and second century — against England at the Wankhede, facing an attack that included Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton and Adil Rashid. The Indian think tank will hope he can draw inspiration from that innings and rediscover the fearless strokeplay that once made him the toast of Indian cricket.

England’s Will Jacks, left, and Rehan Ahmed (Photo by AP)

England pull off an exciting four-wicket win over New Zealand in the T20 World Cup Super Eights, thanks to a brilliant late fightback by Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed. The victory keeps Pakistan’s semifinal hopes alive, while England finish top of Group 2 with three wins from three matches.

England pulled off an exciting four-wicket win over New Zealand in the T20 World Cup Super Eights, thanks to a brilliant late fightback by Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed. The victory kept Pakistan’s semifinal hopes alive, while England finished top of Group 2 with three wins from three matches. New Zealand batted first and posted 159 for seven in 20 overs. Their batters got good starts but failed to convert them into big scores. Glenn Phillips scored 39, Tim Seifert made 35, and Finn Allen added 29. England’s spinners played a key role in controlling the innings, with Jacks, Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed picking up two wickets each to slow the scoring in the middle overs. England’s chase began poorly as they lost two early wickets and struggled at 58 for four. Harry Brook attempted to steady the innings, but New Zealand kept striking at regular intervals. Tom Banton and Sam Curran added valuable runs, yet England slipped to 117 for six in 17 overs, still needing 43 runs from 18 balls. At that stage, New Zealand appeared firmly in control. However, Jacks and Rehan had other plans. They attacked Glenn Phillips in the 18th over, smashing 22 runs to shift the momentum. The duo then collected 16 runs off Mitchell Santner in the next over, putting England on course for victory. With confidence high, they calmly guided the team home with three balls to spare. Earlier, there had been a brief moment of drama when Seifert was wrongly given out, only for TV replays to overturn the decision. In the end, England held their nerve to complete a thrilling comeback win.

England’s Will Jacks (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Will Jacks produced a blistering all-round display as England cricket team defeated Italy national cricket team by 24 runs to book their place in the Super Eights of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, in their Group C fixture at Eden Gardens on Monday.Asked to bat first, England surged past the 200-mark for the first time in this edition, finishing on 202 for 7. The charge was led by Jacks, whose explosive unbeaten 53 came off just 22 balls and included four sixes and three fours. His late assault rescued England after they had slipped to 105/5. Sam Curran added a valuable 25 from 19 balls as the pair combined for a rapid 54-run partnership off only 25 deliveries for the sixth wicket.

Earlier, Phil Salt had set the tempo with 28 off 15 balls, helping England cross 50 inside five overs. However, Jos Buttler’s lean run continued as he departed for three, dismissed by Grant Stewart. Salt later fell to Ali Hasan, while Jacob Bethell (23 off 20) and Harry Brook (14 off 9) also failed to convert starts. Tom Banton contributed a fluent 30 off 21 before holing out to Manenti.Italy’s chase began in dramatic fashion. Jofra Archer’s searing opening over at 146kph reduced them to 1/2, soon becoming 22/3. Anthony Mosca fell first ball, while JJ Smuts edged to first slip. Harry Manenti followed, leaving Italy reeling.Yet the debutants responded bravely. Ben Manenti launched a stunning counterattack, smashing 60 off 25 balls, including a 22-ball fifty — the joint-fifth fastest of the tournament and joint-second fastest by an Associate batter in its history. He hammered five sixes and four fours, taking 21 runs off one Jacks over. Justin Mosca supported well with 43 off 34 as the pair added 92 in 48 balls to revive hopes.Jacks broke the stand by dismissing Ben, caught by Banton, before Adil Rashid removed Justin. Grant Stewart then reignited the contest with 45 off 23, striking two sixes off Archer and three against Rashid.However, Curran halted the surge with two wickets in two balls on his way to 3/22, while Jamie Overton claimed 3/18. Italy were bowled out for 178 in 20 overs, and England advanced with their Super Eights spot secured.